


A Million Moments — ON HIATUS

by sbstevenson2



Category: Suits (US TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-30
Updated: 2020-04-04
Packaged: 2020-09-30 09:08:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 53,995
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20444645
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sbstevenson2/pseuds/sbstevenson2
Summary: Collection of Darvey one shots recounting the millions of moments they've shared, and will share in the future, together. Unrelated one-shots and drabbles inside. Prompts welcome!





	1. The Small Things

_ Author’s note: Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed my first Darvey story, My Forever. It was really weird branching out from my original fandom lol but I was pleased to see some people liked it. If anyone wants another Darvey mutual on Twitter, feel free to add me (@sbstevenson2)! Lol… I’m sure I already follow most of y’all because I’ve been following a ton of people try to feed my need to Darvey haha.  _

_ Anyway, this will be a collection of Darvey drabbles and one shots that I think of along the way (two more are already in the works). I hope you enjoy… please leave a review and let me know what you think!  _

{**************************}

**The Small Things:**

It’s the small things. Those little quirks or moments she has that all amount to the reason he loves her so much. More than that, though, it’s the essence of her that encompasses why he loves her - her empathy for people, the way she cares and goes out of her way to help others, her compassion… she’s the greatest woman he’s ever known. 

He falls more in love with her each passing day.

The early morning light trickles into the room through the curtains she’d insisted they hang over the glass windows, and Harvey smiles, tracing his fingertip along the bridge of her nose. She looks so peaceful, asleep in their bed.  _ Theirs.  _ A word he can’t seem to get enough of. 

Her nose scrunches at the touch, a stray lock of red hair falling across her face with the movement, and his heart warms even more. 

It’s the small things. 

The way her eyes light up when she sees something she likes, the sound of her laughter when he manages to out sass her. It’s everything and nothing. Mundane traits that no one else would think twice about, but it’s everything he loves about her. 

The way she snuggles on the couch in the dead of winter wrapped in his old, worn out Harvard sweatshirt with the fire crackling. How she tucks her nose into the collar, informing him that he has to wear it at least once every few weeks to keep his scent on it, twice if he’s going out of town for work. 

He chuckles softly at the memory, not wanting to wake her up. 

Harvey loves the way Donna constantly ribs him about the lack of napkins in the house, and still he just reminds her that at least he buys the toilet paper. It’s a running joke they’ve continued ever since that first dinner party they’d attempted when Mike was in town three years ago. He’s since bought napkins from time to time, but the jests never cease. 

It’s all the small things. 

Like how she continues to insist they order take out from that shitty Thai place, and how he can never say no. He knows she loves it, so he’ll give in every few weeks and eat it without (too much) complaint. She always giggles at his eye rolls when he bites into his Guay Teow, thanking him for ordering it anyway. 

If he’s honest, the food isn’t all that bad, but he loves the way she teases him so endlessly about it. 

His hand trails down from her jaw to her shoulder, running along the blue, silk strap that rests against it. Donna turns on her side, sighing out a deep breath, but still asleep. 

The blanket falls down her hip, and his eyes follow the movement. Those hips. Another little detail of her that he can’t get enough of. The way she sways them as she saunters away from his office, down the hall toward her own. It used to torture him, back when he was an idiot in denial of how he felt about her. He may not have been able to recognize that he loved her, but he sure knew he was still attracted to her even after all that time. 

A small smile graces his face as he stares at the woman he loves. The woman he’d once spent a night with filled with strawberries and whip cream, then ruined the chance he had to be with her by asking her to be his secretary. His heart had sunk in the diner when she said they could never mention it again, but, he supposes, if they’d dated back then, they never would’ve lasted. He wasn’t ready, and he’s so glad she stuck around until he was. 

She changed him for the better, softening his hard edges and helping him to open up and make friends, and eventually, family. Harvey loves her so much - The woman he gets to spend the rest of his life with. His wife. 

They’d gotten married a year after finally getting together. He would’ve done it sooner but once he proposed, Donna insisted on planning the best wedding ever. And it was. She was beautiful that day, stealing his breath with every glance. 

Her hair was pinned up halfway, loose curls cascading down her shoulders. Her dress hugged every curve just the way she (and he) always liked. 

He’d never seen a more beautiful bride. 

It’s the small things. 

Her eyes crack open, sleepily, still not fully awake, then close again. He loves her eyes. The soulful hazel that seem as if they can read every thought that goes through his mind, often knowing his deepest desires or intentions before even he does. 

He loves the way she’s always just… known him. Better than anyone, in fact. Donna gets him, just another little thing he loves. 

Laying here, he’s overwhelmed with everything - how she grins at him when he says something romantic, the way she wraps her arm around his as they walk down the streets of New York, the crinkle in her nose when she finds something especially amusing… all of it. Everything. He just loves… her. There’s no one thing that he loves, could never choose, because it’s all of it. 

Yawning, Donna’s eyes blearily open all the way, a smirk donning her lips. “What?” she mumbles sleepily, reaching out to cup his cheek. 

Her hand runs down his arm, grazing back up to squeeze his bicep. 

“Nothing,” he laughs breathily, giving her a wink, “just thinking about how much I love you.” 

She smiles over at him, the hand on his bicep moving down to hold his. Their fingers intertwine between their bodies as she tells him she loves him too. 

They inch closer together, his lips meeting hers. Her kisses are an additional attribute he loves. He can always feel the depth of her love within those soft lips, and he hopes she can feel it just as strongly in his. 

“And,” she giggles as they pull apart, “this little one loves you too.” 

He beams, tears forming in his eyes as his hand reaches up to rub her swollen belly. They never thought they’d have this, fearful their age would be a hindrance, but their little girl had surprised them both, holding on for dear life as she grew inside Donna’s belly week after week. 

“She’ll be here soon,” Harvey claims with a smile, sitting up and leaning against the headboard. “I can’t wait.”

Donna’s teeth sink into her bottom lip, yet one more little thing he will never tire of, as she, too, sits up. Her hand rests on her stomach, rubbing slow circles. 

He sees the bump move beneath her hand, and he laughs. He can’t wait to see what small things their daughter will do that make him fall in love with her each and every day, just like her mother. 

{***************************}

_ Thoughts? I’ve got a few more ideas of one shots to add to this collection of unrelated Darvey cuteness. Let me know if there’s any moment in their lives (past, present or future!) you’d like to see! :)  _


	2. Perfect

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Donna checks in on Harvey after his phone call with his mom. Post 9x07. Chapter rated: M ;) #Darvey

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Confession: I was OBSESSED with The Thomas Crown Affair back in the day, so the fact that Donna mentioned it made me freak out haha… so I had to write this to celebrate! lol
> 
> {*****************************}

She’s soaking in the tub, the warm water encompassing her and relaxing her muscles after a long day.

After telling Harvey she’d be in the bedroom, she didn’t quite know what to do. She wanted to give him some privacy to talk to his mom, for once in her life not wanting to eavesdrop on him. The open layout of “their” penthouse (she’s practically moved in at this point), though, posed a challenge. She had nowhere to go that she couldn’t overhear. Except the bathroom. 

She’d drawn a bath, sinking in as thoughts of his teary eyes when she’d shown him his gift warmed her heart. She loved Harvey so much and being able to get his painting back for him was one of the greatest feelings she’d ever experienced. 

Donna knew how much it killed him to let Elliott take it so long ago, it always meant so much to him. But being able to get Alex’s forger to make a copy brought her immense joy. 

The real fun was walking into Elliott’s office building, acting as if she belonged there. She waltzed right in, schmoozing the security guard in a way only Donna Paulsen could do. Without anyone noticing, she’d stepped into Elliott’s office, noting it wasn’t anywhere near the size of Harvey’s (or her’s). With a smug grin on her face, she casually removed the original painting from his wall, placing the forged version in its place. 

She chuckles to herself now, scooping some water into her hands and letting it fall over her shoulders. She didn’t think she’d get away with it, doing her best Thomas Crown impression to switch the paintings like she did, but everything had worked out. Elliott would never be any wiser to what happened. 

Donna sighs, sinking deeper into the tub and letting the water cover her shoulders. She thinks of Harvey, and how much he’s grown over the last few years. He has mended his relationship with Lily, he’s learned to be more open about his emotions (the  _ only _ good thing to come from the blonde therapist whom shall not be named), and she couldn’t be prouder of him if she tried. If she’s being honest, she’s been the one to suppress her feelings so far in their relationship - a skill acquired from years of pretending not to be in love with him. He’s shown her lately, however, that being open and saying how she really feels is a good thing. 

Dating him has been an experience. Seeing boyfriend-Harvey has made her do a double take on more than one occasion over the last few months. He’s so much… happier? He’s giggly and playful, the demands and stress of work and everything Faye related weighing them both down, but he never seems to let it affect  _ them _ . He’d been the one to suggest weekly date nights, and leaving office talk where it belongs. She loves it. And she loves him, completely. 

Hearing him say he loved her a few weeks ago made her heart soar, never truly thinking she’d ever hear those words fall from his lips. He’d told her so casually that she’d almost missed it. They were cooking dinner, laughing at something Louis had done that day, when he chuckled out a, “God, I love you.” She’d turned from the stove, staring at him in disbelief before her brain caught up to her heart. She knew he’d claimed, “That’s what I love about you,” as they stood in the middle of Mike’s living room months ago, but hearing the actual words did something to her. They’d made love that night right there on the kitchen island, his hips bucking into her as her ass slid against the cold, sleek tile. 

It had been a night to remember, and a spot they’ve revisited again and again since that night. 

“Hey,” he mumbles, stepping into the bathroom. 

Donna’s eyes open, sliding over to watch him remove his shirt. “Hey, how'd it go?” 

He pulls down his pants and boxers, her eyes following as she watches his cock spring free. She shouldn’t be so turned on already, knows he needs to talk about the conversation with his mom, but she can’t help it. He’s so sexy, and she shivers every time she remembers that he’s all hers. 

“It was good,” he nods, smiling as she slips into the tub. She scoots forward, letting him settle behind her. 

His arms wrap around her shoulders and she leans back against him. Harvey places a kiss to the side of her head, telling her about the phone call. “I told her you got my painting back,” he states, and she tilts her head, glancing up at him. 

His brown eyes are shining, that cheshire cat grin beaming on his face. “Did you tell her about the forgery?” 

“God, no,” he laughs, his arms roaming down her arms. “I think we’ll keep that between us for a little while longer.”

She chuckles, her own hands sinking beneath the water to gently rub at his thighs. They spend the next few minutes talking about his trip with Samantha, Donna curious about the outcome of her friend meeting her father. 

Harvey informs her about the news of her mom, and how Samantha seemed to be feeling. Donna sympathizes with Sam. She can’t imagine what the woman has gone through in her life and how finding out her father never even knew about her must have hit her. 

They go silent, hands still caressing. It’s not sexual, just relaxing, and she finds the domesticity of it all overwhelming. She feels so comfortable in Harvey’s presence, always has, but this is different. She feels… like she’s home. She can completely be herself without fear of him judging her. It’s perfect, just as he’d claimed she was earlier tonight. She smiles to herself, thinking of the way his eyes had gone soft, looking from the painting to her, claiming she was perfect. It was just another way for Harvey to let her know how much she meant to him. They didn’t always have to say  _ I love you _ , they knew the other’s true feelings, and sometimes it was nice to hear his thoughts on her. She’d joked earlier, telling him she was more than perfect, but deep down she has to admit that hearing him say that to her, knowing he truly meant it, meant more to her than she could ever really say. It warmed her, made her feel special, like she was the best thing to ever happen to him.

He bends his head, placing another light kiss to her temple. Smiling, Donna sighs at the contact, moving her head to get a better look at him. She puckers her lips, making him breathe out a small laugh, before he answers her silent request. His lips meet hers, lingering longer than she anticipated but she will never complain. Her lips move against his, the angle awkward, but she’ll make it work. They move their hands at the same time, both reaching up to intertwine their fingers together. 

With both hands clasped, Harvey pulls them back toward him, his lips never leaving hers. He moans into the kiss, his tongue peeking out to seek entrance. She grants it, letting hers meet his. 

They stay like that, one of Harvey’s hands releasing hers so he can reach under the water. He caresses her upper thigh, causing her to squirm. His fingers do a dance against her skin, riling her up. She moans, breaking apart from their kiss. She sighs heavily into the space between them, opening her eyes to stare into his. 

She nods, giving him the okay to touch her like they both want. His fingers trace her entrance, running one digit down the length of her before pressing in. His finger sinks into her core, already wet for him. He murmurs hotly, “You’re already so wet,” and all she can do is nod as he adds a second finger. 

“You have that effect on me,” she breathes, writhing beneath his ministrations. Her hands finally move, one reaching behind her to cup the back of his head, her fingers running through his hair before gripping down. Her other hand moves, not exactly room in the tub to do much else but rub at his leg. But she needs something to do, and when he adds a third finger, deepening the pressure, that hand on his thigh grips down as well, tightening as she feels herself getting closer to the edge. “Plus,” she adds, moaning and licking her lip, “you’ve been gone for two days; I missed you.”

His free hand reaches up, cupping her chin and tilting her head to look at him again. His eyes bore into her hazel ones, and he smiles brightly, telling her that he missed her, too. “So much,” he adds, his palm pressing against her clit. 

She moans once more, writhing on top of him. She can feel his cock against her back, hard now, and she smirks, thinking of how to wiggle around so her hand could try and reach behind her well enough to touch him properly. 

Harvey presses more firmly, a cry of pleasure escaping her. He kisses her neck, tongue licking a wet trail down the vein that leads to her collar bone. His lips latch on once again, teeth nipping lightly at the junction between neck and shoulder. 

She’s so close, can feel her core tightening. She feels bad, feels as if she should be pleasuring him as well, but, well, this feels amazing and she’d given him a blow job after their morning coffee before he’d left, giving him a little going away gift right there in the kitchen as he gripped the island, head thrown back and shouting her name as he came in her mouth. So, she thinks, now they’re even. 

“Harvey,” she moans, her hips bucking. The water sloshes around more now, a little bit spilling over the edge of the tub. 

They both giggle, an,  _ Oops _ , coming from him. She shakes her head, telling him they can clean it up later. 

She looks back at him again, pulling him down more fiercely to kiss him. Her tongue tangling with his as she rides his fingers. He’s moaning now, too, his hand moving to cup her breast. His thumb trails over her hardened nipple, almost painful now as the sensation of her orgasm grows more intense and the cold air in the bathroom hits her skin. “Fuck, Harvey,” she pants, both hands in his hair now as she brings him down to her neck again. 

He sucks on that spot, the one that always makes her go weak, and she groans, eyes rolling closed. His fingers speed up, and all she can do is nod vigorously, a succession of,  _ Yes, yes, yes _ , coming from her. 

Harvey changes the angle of his fingers, his pointer and middle coming to pinch at her clit, rolling it between the pads of his fingers. Her hips buck again, and she tells him that she’s close. 

“Tell me what you need,” he begs, his fingers doing all the right things. 

She smiles, out of breath as she pants even harder. “Deeper,” she manages to get out, moaning louder when his fingers press more firmly against her. 

She squirms, pressing her hips down against his fingers. No words can be spoken now as she is overcome with nothing but pleasure. She can feel it building, bubbling to the surface. 

With one more shout of his name, Donna comes on his fingers, coating them in her wetness. 

“Fuck,” she sighs, one hand leaving the back of his neck to tangle in her own hair as she slumps against his chest. “That was…”

Harvey chuckles. “Perfect?” he asks, mimicking his own words from earlier. Kissing her ear, he adds, “I told you I missed you.” 

She grins, looking up at him. He leans in, pressing a loving kiss to her lips. One, two, three more little pecks, and he finally pulls away. 

“Mm,” she groans, feeling exhausted after all of that. “I love your kisses.”

Grinning, he assures her that he loves hers as well. He declares that he could kiss her for the rest of his life and never grow tired of it, and she’s inclined to agree. 

“Good thing you half-proposed already,” she jests, smirking. 

He laughs, causing her to join in on it. She loves this. Loves how they can go from serious, to hot and steamy, to playful all in a matter of minutes. It’s the best relationship she’s ever had, and she’s glad to know that this will be their life forever. 

She shivers, the water having run cold at this point. Harvey wraps his arms around her chest, her nipples, hard from the coldness now, press into his forearm. “Come on,” he whispers, placing another kiss to her temple. “Let’s get out and go watch a movie.” 

Nodding, she says, “That sounds nice,” adding that she hasn’t eaten either so they can make some popcorn. 

They stand, Harvey grabbing her fluffy, white towel off the hook and wrapping it around her. She smiles, snuggling into it as she watches him dry off, tying it around his waist. 

He looks over at her, giving her a wink. She takes the few steps separating them, moving the towel around her body and tightening it so it stays put. Donna raises onto her tiptoes, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him once more. His arms wind around her waist, smiling into their embrace.

They pull apart when her stomach grumbles, laughing together. They make their way into the bedroom, each throwing on a pair of pajamas as Harvey makes a quip about needing to get some food in her immediately. 

“I’ll put the movie on while you get the popcorn,” he states, walking through the bedroom doorway and into the living room. 

She trails behind him, still wringing out her wet, red locks in the towel. Shaking the towel against her head to get the last of the droplets out, she asks, “What movie did you have in mind?” 

Donna rounds the kitchen island, eyes locking with his across the room. She tilts her head when he begins to smirk, her laughter filling the room when he responds with, “The Thomas Crown Affair, obviously.” 

{*****************************}

_ Please review! _

_ And remember, this story collection "A Million Moments" will feature any one shot for Darvey that I write, not necessarily just about the version of them I wrote in chapter one ("The Small Things"), so if you have any prompts, let me know! Thanks to those of you who already sent me some. I've added them to my list I had going already and I am inspired to write everything that I can! lol And like always, please look me up on Twitter @sbstevenson2 - come say hi and talk all things Darvey with me! I'm always up for making Darvey mutuals haha _


	3. Her Prince

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harvey and Donna's daughter has a nightmare and needs both her parents to make it go away. #Darvey #Fluff

_ A peek into a night in the Paulsen-Specter household. Future Darvey. No canon spoilers in this one! _

_ Thanks to Sarah (@catsballeths on Twitter) and Jessica (@jessicaahyfr on Twitter) for checking over this for me and giving me some feedback! _

{************************}

**Her Prince**   


Donna sits up, the sound of their daughter’s cries jolting her awake. The movement must rouse her husband, because he grunts, turning to look at her. 

“What is it?” Harvey murmurs sleepily, inhaling sharply as he rubs his eyes, moving to sit up beside his wife. 

Ellie cries out again, Harvey jumping up when he realizes his little girl is in distress. “I’ll go get her,” he says quickly, kissing the top of his wife’s head as he stumbles out of the bedroom. 

Donna smiles despite the situation; Harvey has always been such a vigilant and protective father. When Ellie was a baby, anytime she’d awake in the night, he would be the one to volunteer to get her, claiming he wanted to let Donna sleep as much as possible. She knew the truth though - he loved feeling needed by their baby since he was unable to help with the feedings in the beginning while Donna breastfed. It was sweet, so completely in character for the Harvey she knew and loved, but nowhere near the Harvey Specter the rest of the world was familiar with. 

Their daughter may be four, too old according to some people to still have a baby monitor, but Donna likes having it on, knowing she can hear Ellie more clearly if something is wrong. Like tonight, for instance. 

Another tiny smile grows on her face as she listens to Harvey shush their daughter. His crooned, “Hey, little girl,” warming her heart. She can just imagine him walking gingerly into the room, a sympathetic pout on his lips as he lifts her into his arms.

He talks to Ellie, asking her what’s wrong, but all she can say is, “Mama,” and, “bad dream.” 

A few moments later, Harvey walks back into the room, a sniffling Ellie in his arms. When she sees her mother, the miniature redhead reaches out, crying  _ Mama _ as she flings herself into Donna’s arms. She shushes the girl, cradling her as she situates their bodies on the mattress. Ellie’s little feet hang off Donna’s lap, one foot bouncing against the bed as she sucks her thumb, crying into her mother’s shoulder.

She runs her fingers through Ellie’s long, red hair, kissing the top of her head as she promises her that everything is okay. “Did you have a bad dream?”

The little girl curls into her mother’s chest tighter, nodding vigorously as she whimpers. Donna looks over her daughter’s head, catching her husband’s eyes. They give each other a pitying glance as Harvey reaches out, rubbing gently against Ellie’s back. 

Donna moves to lay down, maneuvering Ellie so she’s laying between her parents’ bodies. “It’s okay, baby,” she soothes, rubbing the girl’s belly. Her skin is hot, so Donna blows on her forehead, trying to calm her down. 

Harvey’s hand cards through the four year old’s red locks, her wide, brown eyes staring up at him. There’s still tears in her eyes, her ragged breathing finally beginning to slow down to a normal pace. Her thumb goes back up into her mouth, a habit they’re trying to break her of, but now doesn’t seem like the time to focus on that. 

“Do you want to tell me and Mama what it was about?”

Ellie’s head shakes, thumb popping out to vehemently declare it was too scary to talk about. Harvey leans down, pressing a kiss to her cheek, and Donna spots the little grin he’s trying to cover. She knows what it’s for - no matter how scared their daughter is, her sassy refusal still makes them both want to chuckle. She loves Ellie’s personality and how vibrant it is, just like hers had been as a kid. 

Both adults sink further into the bed, arms draping over their little girl protectively. Harvey’s palm lands on Donna’s hip, giving it an affection squeeze. She looks at him, his brown eyes glimpsing from her to their daughter. She loves seeing him like this, concerned and taking care of their child. He’s always been her protector, always been the one to take care of any problem she may have had, and it’s nice to see that continue with his offspring.

Ellie starts to fade into slumber, the nightmare obviously rearing its ugly head inside her mind again because she starts to cry softly, reaching out for Donna once more. “Mmm, Mama,” she whines, twisting her body closer to Donna’s, the covers being kicked and skewed as she does.

“You’re okay,” she whispers, cuddling into the little girl. “It’s alright.” Donna pulls the thin sheet back over their bodies, smoothing it down against the little girl. “Mama and Daddy are right here, see?” She gestures over to Harvey, smiling when Ellie nods sadly. 

Harvey shushes her, his hand moving to pat her leg. He leans in, placing a kiss to the top of her head, whispering how much he loves her and that everything will be just fine. 

“Daddy is right here to protect us. You know he would never let anything happen to either one of us.”

A memory of years ago flashes in Donna’s mind, a time when Harvey still struggled to tell her his true feelings. His words, _I told you I won’t let anything happen to you. And I won’t, ever. So you don’t ever have to feel scared like that again, _ring in her ears as she watches him comfort their little girl. Ellie’s eyes light up at Donna’s assurance, her little body wiggling in the bed as she looks from her father to her mother. “Protect us like Prince Charming?!”

Donna smirks, nodding. Her eyes flick up to Harvey’s, then back to their daughter. “Yes,” she chuckles, kissing Ellie’s cheek. “Just like Prince Charming.”

The girl giggles, turning her body to face Harvey’s. Her tiny hand reaches up, patting her daddy on the cheek. He angles his head so his lips can reach her hand, placing a loving kiss on her palm, making a smacking noise as he does so. Ellie laughs out, flipping onto her back to stare at the ceiling. 

She breathes in and out, small giggles still falling from her lips as she rambles on about Snow White and Prince Charming and how he would never let the bad lady get the princess. Donna and Harvey both smile sleepily as they listen, knowing full well that tomorrow they will have to sit through yet another viewing of the Disney movie. 

Ellie yawns, her mouth falling open. “‘Night, Prince Charming,” she mumbles through the giant exhale, turning on her side again and curling closer to Harvey’s chest this time. 

Donna smiles, her heart warming at the sight in front of her. She looks to her husband, a giant cheshire cat grin plastered on his face, beaming brighter than any moonlight flowing into their bedroom from the windows. 

She chuckles softly, knowing this has made his night. Adjusting the covers again, she pulls the comforter up just enough to cover their feet, knowing Harvey’s will get cold during the night if they don’t put it on now. She watches peacefully as her husband hums a very quiet melody into their daughter’s hair, pressing light kisses to her hairline and whispering to her softly, encouraging her to try and get some sleep. Donna loves this, loves these little moments when she can observe him in his element. He’s such a good dad, just like she always knew he would be, but seeing it in the flesh, watching him comfort and love their little girl, makes her giddy. It literally warms her soul, her heart feeling as if it could leap from her chest. She loves that man, and their little miracle they created together, and she’s so thankful they finally admitted their feelings and became a couple a few years ago. She can’t imagine a different life for them anymore. “Goodnight, Prince Charming,” she whispers in jest, her hand coming to land on Ellie’s back. 

Ellie attempts to giggle, seemingly too tired to get it all the way out though as the tiny laughter turns into another yawn. She reaches up, pushing a piece of hair matted to her forehead away, slipping her thumb back into her mouth. Donna rolls her eyes, making a mental note to look up ways to stop thumb sucking, but smiles as Ellie’s other hand falls against Harvey’s stomach, rubbing lightly before twisting the fabric between her tiny fingers. 

Harvey snickers at Donna’s words as well, tilting his head to get closer to hers over their little girl’s body. She smirks, shaking her head but leans in to place a soft kiss to his lips. Her hand comes up at the same time, scratching at the stubble he’s been growing over the past week. 

“I love you,” he says quietly, smiling over at her when she moves back a few inches. 

Donna smiles, eyes growing heavy as the late hour hits her. They all have to be up soon for work and school, but Donna has a feeling she and Ellie will be taking a personal day to nap, watch movies, and bake brownies for when Daddy gets home from work. 

“I love you, too.”

Before long, they can both hear the soft, exhausted snores puffing from Ellie’s body. They smile at one another, Harvey’s eyes drooping too as slumbers calls their names. Donna looks down at their little girl once more, checking to make sure she’s actually asleep, and it seems the nightmare has left her, content now to sleep between her mother and her prince. 

{***********************}

_ Please leave a review and let me know what you thought! _   
  



	4. For Us

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Donna finds out Harvey has been arrested. Harvey finds out some big news as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One shot based on 9x08 (before it airs lol)... mainly came to me when we found out Harvey was going to be arrested and my brain just went here haha
> 
> {**********************}

**For Us:**

Donna is lying on the couch, fear gripping her as Louis’ words from earlier tonight ring in her ear. 

_ Harvey has been arrested.  _

He was supposed to be coming over, they were planning to have date night at her place instead of going out. When she heard knocking at her door, she was confused, wondering why Harvey wasn’t just using his key. 

Thoughts of his hands being full with flowers and food filled her mind as she raced to the door, swinging it open to help him carry things inside. Instead of her boyfriend, however, she found Louis with a worried expression on his face. 

“I’m so sorry, Donna,” was all she’d heard, her mind drifting before she could hear an explanation as to why Malik had taken him in. 

That was hours ago, and Louis had sworn to her that he would get him home tonight. She thinks over her best friend’s words, his promises that they legally couldn’t keep him overnight without a trial. So he’d be home tonight, that was the good part, but for how long? How long until she found herself in Rachel’s shoes from years ago, crying as her boyfriend was whisked away, taken in handcuffs to spend God knows how long behind bars. 

The worst part? She hadn’t even gotten the chance to give him her good news before Malik took him in, Cahill on his heels trying to stop it. 

Sighing, she rolls onto her side, unable to sleep in her bed but unable to get comfortable out here as well. They may have only been together for six months, but sleeping without him by her side was next to impossible. More so when she knows where he is. 

She hears keys jingle in the lock, and she sits up, too overwhelmed to get up. “Hey,” he whispers when he walks in, locking eyes with her. 

Donna smiles weakly, traitorous tears forming in the corners of her eyes. “Hey.”

Walking toward her, he plops his jacket on the coffee table. She reaches out for him, his arms wrapping around her frame as she begins to cry. She curses herself, angry that she’s let this man worm his way so deep into her heart and soul that just the  _ thought  _ of losing him reduces her to tears. Harvey shushes her, pressing kiss after kiss into her long, strawberry blonde hair. 

“Are you okay?” she finally asks, pulling back just enough to look at him. 

Harvey smiles bravely, kissing the tip of her nose as he tries to assure her that he’s fine. “Louis and I are going to meet with Cahill tomorrow to work on it all.”

She nods, unsure of how she can help but wanting to just the same. 

Donna tells him as much, but Harvey says he doesn’t want her to get involved. It rubs her the wrong way, always feeling out of the loop when it comes to their biggest legal issues since she doesn’t have a law degree, but he must sense her decades old insecurity flaring up because he adds, “I  _ can’t  _ have you involved, Donna.” She tilts her head, silently questioning him. 

With a sigh, Harvey looks down to their intertwined fingers, then back up to her. She can see the emotion swirling in his deep, brown eyes when he concedes, “If you’re too close to this then I won’t be able to focus. I’ll be trying my hardest to make sure nothing happens to you.” 

Her face softens at his words, and she shakes her head, promising him that she’s fine. “I’m not the one in danger of being arrested this time.” 

The corner of his mouth twitches into what she assumes is the beginning of a smirk as he leans in to kiss her lips. He goes quiet, a lone tear escaping. “I don’t know what to do,” he admits, “I  _ did  _ all the things he’s accusing me of. I’m guilty.” 

Her eyes sink closed, asking if Cahill can do anything. Harvey just shrugs, sniffling his emotions away. “Whatever it is, it’ll have to be a miracle. Donna, I could lose my license.” 

Donna knows how important that is to him, tells him as much, and she knows that being a lawyer is where he’s found his identity, his comfort, for so long. As a college student, when things were bad at home with his family, knowing he’d be able to escape to Harvard, immersing himself in the law, is what got him through. Practicing law was everything to him. He’d never willingly give up his license. He loves his job far too much for that. 

The thought of him going to prison all because he wouldn’t give it up brings another swell of emotion to her heart. She thinks of her little secret, the thing she was meant to tell him hours ago over dinner but never got the chance. 

Tears flow down again, a tiny sob making its way from the back of her throat. She inhales, sinking into his embrace when he pulls her closer. He soothes her again, running a hand over her hair, but it doesn’t help. She continues to silently cry, building up the courage to tell him. 

“Harvey,” she breathes, sitting up to look at him. She has to tell him now, there’s no waiting for tomorrow because tomorrow he might be taken from her. “How long would you be gone?” she asks, needing to know before she reveals anything else. 

He sighs, looking away, then back to her, telling her it could be anywhere from one to eight years. Images of a life without him for that long flash before her and those tears that had finally ceased start again. 

Harvey pulls her into his arms, but she pulls back, looking into his eyes. Her brows pinch together; she’s angry. Not at him, well, a little at him, but more so at Malik for holding such a grudge that he would take Harvey away from her. “I’m pregnant, Harvey!” she cries, reaching up to touch her stomach. 

His eyes go wide, his own set of tears filling his eyes again. He breathes a,  _ What?, _ that she can’t help but chuckle wetly at. 

She nods sadly, confirming that she is, indeed, carrying their child. “I was going to tell you at dinner, but then everything happened,” she rambles, taking his hands in hers, “and I couldn’t wait. We’re out of time. You could go to prison tomorrow, Harvey,  _ tomorrow _ , for  _ eight _ years!”

Another cry leaves her, still not giving Harvey time to react. She hears a faint murmur, something along the lines of,  _ It wouldn’t be tomorrow, _ and,  _ I’d still have to go on trial _ , but she can’t focus on his attempt to placate her right now. She knows, logically, that he (or her, or Louis) would post his bail when it was set, then the trial would begin, spending months on end with her in a frenzy, but she can’t think straight right now. She’s normally the calm and collected one, never letting her true panic show too often, but this is different. She doesn’t want to see reason. No matter if it’s tomorrow or six months from now, she could lose him.

She can feel his hand on her shoulder, the other on her knee as she says, “Eight years, Harvey. Do you know what that means?” She looks to him frantically, emotions taking over like never before as she pictures a little boy with dirty blonde hair and hazel eyes running around the park, or a little girl with auburn hair and her daddy’s brown eyes blowing out the candles on another birthday cake he’s unable to see in person. “The birth of our child, birthdays, first days of school… their first steps, first words… everything!” she cries, reaching up to wipe the tears away. 

She hears Harvey sniffle, and she looks to him. His cheeks are wet, silent tears still streaming down his face. She’s never seen Harvey this upset, not since Gordon died, and she stops her rant, bringing her hand up to cup his cheek. 

Harvey starts apologizing, kissing her lips, then her temple, moving his lips to pepper her cheek, jawline and chin with kisses. His hand reaches up to her stomach, thumb stroking above her belly button. “I’m sorry,” he murmurs against the crook of her neck, his tears coating her skin there. “I’m so so sorry, Donna.”

He pulls back, vowing to solve this tomorrow. They sit in silence for a while, both staring at each other, silently communicating. “A baby,” Harvey finally says, a smile beaming on his face. “We’re having a baby.” 

Donna can’t help the little chuckle that flows from her as she nods in excitement. “I know it’s too soon,” she starts, swiftly cut off by another kiss. 

“Thirteen years isn’t too soon,” he jests, winking at her. He bites his bottom lip, saying he’s happy and asking what she thinks it’ll be. They spend the next hour planning what life would be like with a son, and what life would look like with a girl, both pretending Harvey is not locked behind iron bars for the first decade of their child’s life. 

Sighing, Donna checks the time. “It’s almost four in the morning,” she informs him, standing and reaching her hand out for his. “Let’s at least get a few hours of sleep before we have to deal with reality.” 

Harvey takes her hand, leading her into the bedroom where they spend the next three hours cuddled together, his hand firmly resting on her not yet there baby bump. 

{******************************}

The next night, Donna finds herself on Harvey’s couch, anxiously biting at her nails as she waits for him to come home. 

He’d worked all day behind closed doors with Louis and Alex, phone call after phone call and a mysterious meeting he’d taken outside the office later in the day. 

He’d come by her office, telling her not to wait there for him. He would come home after his meeting and tell her everything. With one last kiss, Harvey had disappeared, no further details given to her. 

She was confused, and a little angry, at the secrecy of it all. Louis and Alex had even avoided her for the later part of the day. Having more than enough, she’d grabbed her belongings and left the office an hour before she normally would. 

Sitting here now, though, she wishes she’d thought to bring some files home to work on, giving her hands something to do while she waited instead of letting her mind wander to all the worst case scenarios. 

The door opens, and Harvey comes waltzing in, that cheshire cat smile planted on his face. He tosses a take out bag from that Thai place she loves, yet he claims is so shitty, and he wiggles his eyebrows over from the bag to her. 

Her eyes narrow, asking him what he’s so happy about. “Did you talk to Cahill? Or Malik? What happened today?” 

A million questions fly through her mind, but all of them are silenced when Harvey kneels in front of her, grasping her face with both hands and pressing his lips firmly to hers. She moans at the sudden contact, eyebrows raising before finding their rightful place. 

He pulls back, still grinning, and she asks him what he’s so happy about. She can’t help but to have hope that things worked out based on how he’s acting, so she lets a small grin tug at her lips. 

“You’re pregnant,” he states. 

Her face crumbles in confusion, head tilting to the side. “...Yes, Harvey,” she drawls, “we discussed that last night.”

Harvey chuckles, shaking his head and joining her on the couch. He turns his body, one leg bending at the knee. She faces him as well, pulling her long hair to one side as she asks him, again, what happened today. 

Smiling, Harvey takes her hands in his, and she spies wetness forming in his eyes. “I talked to Cahill today.”

She nods, assuming that’s where he ran off to this afternoon. “And?”

He huffs out a tiny bit of laughter, bringing her hands up to kiss two of her knuckles. “And I told him that I would give up my license if it kept me out of prison.”

Give up his…. “What?” she asks incredulously, not sure she heard him correctly. “Harvey, you love being a lawyer! You can’t give it up just for me.” 

“But I love  _ you  _ more,” he declares sincerely, as if it is the most obvious fact in the world, swallowing around what she assumes is a lump in his throat. “I’d give up everything for you.” Her breath is lost at his words. He leans in to kiss her cheek, adding, “But I didn’t just do it for you. I did it for  _ us.”  _ He lays a hand over her belly, wet eyes shining at her smiles brightly at her. 

Tears spring to her own eyes at his words. He’s been reluctant to say those three little words as often as she has, surprisingly (she’s been the more guarded one with everything else in their relationship, but she was learning). He’d been the first to say it, but after that he was more the type to show his love through actions and other sweet words - things like,  _ “you’re perfect,”  _ and,  _ “You know we’re going to be together forever, right?” _ flit through her mind. Hearing them now, though, hits differently, and she can’t help the tears that escape (and wonders absentmindedly if the tears that have been ransacking her body for the past day will ever stop). 

“I made a deal with Malik through Cahill. Malik agreed that if I never practice law again, then he’d drop all the charges.” He sighs, smiling again. “It’s over, Donna.” 

She shakes her head, disbelief consuming her. She’d been so scared, so worried not even twenty four hours ago that he’d be gone for years, missing all the wonderful moments in their child’s life. 

Donna exhales deeply, scooting closer to him as he wraps his arms around her waist, drawing her almost into his lap. She giggles when they get a little tangled up, but all he does is reach up, brushing a strand of hair that's fallen in her face away and kiss her lips. 

“I love you, Donna Paulsen,” he says, growing serious again. “You are the most important person in my life, and I wasn’t about to let something as insignificant as my job stop me from being there for you through  _ every _ stage of this pregnancy. Or any moment in our life together.”

She beams, leaning in to kiss him once more. 

“I want to be there for everything,” he confesses, a tear slipping from his eye. “Every birthday, soccer game, piano lesson or painting class. Every nightmare, every dirty diaper, every bath time… I want it all,” he says, smiling, his thumb caressing her cheek, “and I want it with you.”

All she can do it nod, her shoulders lifting as she confirms that she wants those things with him too. 

“I never thought I’d love someone as much as I love you, Donna.” 

She swallows thickly, trying to keep the tears at bay. The last two days have been nothing but heartache and sadness, and now happiness, and the tears just keep coming. She wants to blame the new pregnancy hormones coursing through her body, but she has a sneaking suspicion she’d be this emotional over his words with or without a baby growing inside her, too.

“You said last night that I love being a lawyer, and you’re right,” he smiles, tapping her nose, “I do, but the thought of not coming home to you every day, not getting to kiss you and tell you how my day went, not being able to cook with you or whisk you off to Del Posto after a long day… didn’t seem worth keeping a stupid piece of paper for.”

Shaking her head, she takes a deep breath, asking him what he’s going to do now. 

Harvey twists his lips, shrugging nonchalantly. 

She rolls her eyes, swatting at his chest. “You can’t just stay here and be a stay at home dad,” she jokes, adding, “I may make good money as COO, but it’s not that good!”

He snorts, tugging her into his lap. Her legs drape over his thighs, dangling onto the hardwood floor beneath them. Her arms wind around his neck, and she leans in, kissing along his jawline and down to his neck. 

He groans, tilting his head back to give her better access. She grins into his skin, licking along the vein in his neck that protrudes when he gets angry. She’s always found that vein so sexy, sometimes purposely making him mad back when he was in denial of his feelings for her just to see it bulge out. She giggles to herself now, though, knowing all she has to do is press her lips to the right spot and it’ll do the rest for her. 

She pulls back, looking into his eyes. “Seriously though, Harvey, what will you do?”

He smiles, squeezing her hips affectionately. “I hear there’s a nice clinic in Seattle that’s always looking for sound legal advice.”

Donna’s eyes bug out of her head for a split second, almost doing a double take as she turns her head to look at him. “You’re serious?” she breathes out in shock, a fresh wave of tears swelling in her eyes. 

He nods, a wet chuckle escaping him. She’d mentioned to him weeks ago about wanting to visit Seattle, needing to see Rachel, but more importantly to scope it out if they ever wanted to make a change. 

Seems her Donna senses were working for her even before she knew they’d need a change of scenery. 

He leans up, kissing her again. “I need to call Mike in the morning,” he says, “but… yeah, why not?”

She nods in agreement, knowing things at the firm will be changing anyway. Now that Faye is in charge, clearly planning to name Katrina as managing partner while she cleans house, it might just be time for a big change after all. 

Louis could take that judgeship or try for a teaching position at Harvard. Alex could go to any firm in the city, his reputation still intact, though she has a feeling he’d stay right where he is, fighting with Katrina to make the firm the best it can be. 

Donna stands, reaching out for his hands. Harvey takes them, following her into his bedroom. “I guess since we’re moving, we have no choice but to officially move in together,” he jokes, patting her on the ass. 

She laughs, turning to face him as the back of her knees hit the mattress. Before sinking onto the bed with him, she tells him, “Guess that means that proposal to propose eventually needs to get moved up.” She winks, letting him know she’s only joking. She knows a wedding and marriage weren’t exactly in his picture of forever, just being together was good enough with her, too. No need for big rings or fairytale weddings with hundreds of people there. As long as she has Harvey (and now, their baby) by her side, that’s all she really needs to be happy. 

“Well,” he says suspiciously, stepping away from her and walking toward the dresser. He opens the top drawer, pulling out a small, black velvet box. “It’s a good thing I picked this up last week then.”

He comes to stand in front of her again, opening the box to reveal a modest diamond set in a silver band and surrounded by other smaller stones.

She cries and laughs at the same time, shaking her head at him as he slips the ring onto her finger. 

“Hey, I didn’t say yes,” she whines, and laughs even harder when his eyes go wide, stopping mid-finger with the diamond to look up at her. 

His mouth falls agape before snapping shut, tilting his head to look at her sarcastically. “Did you want me to get down on one knee too?”

“No,” she laughs, sliding the ring on the rest of the way herself. “This was just perfect.” She wraps her arms around his neck, pulling him closer as she crashes her lips to his. 

He pulls back, reaching behind him to take her left hand and bring it over his head and to his lips. He kisses the engagement ring, then lets their hands sway between their bodies as he asks, “Will you marry me?”

Beaming, she nods, exclaiming that she will. He smiles as well, the tears from the last two days finally falling for another joyous reason. 

That night, they fall into bed, tangled limbs and sheets, celebrating the fact that Harvey will not be going to prison, the news of their baby being conceived, and the knowledge that she would soon walk down the (not so extravagant) aisle to become Mrs. Paulsen-Specter, and dancing the night away at their reception in Harvey’s arms as Gordon’s music fills the air and their closest friends surround them. 

Two nights ago, she thought she was going to live the next eight years alone, but now, she’s thrilled to experience them with Harvey. Just how it should have always been. 

{***********************}

_ I know, logically, that what I wrote will never happen (nor do I think it will with only three episodes left lol). But I blame all the lovely Darvey fans on Twitter who are always tweeting about Donna being pregnant (which makes me giggle whenever I see it lol) _

_ Thoughts? Please review! _


	5. Let's Go Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The firm is shut down. It's time to leave the office for the last time and go home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a short little look into one of the many possibilities I think the finale could end like lol. Hope you enjoy! Please leave a review and let me know what you thought!
> 
> {***************************}

**Let’s Go Home:**

She walks into his office slowly, smiling softly as Louis exits the room. He brushes his hand against her shoulder, giving her a sympathetic look and making his way out of their beloved law firm on the fiftieth floor for the last time.

She hears Harvey sigh deeply over by his window, his hand resting against the basketball once signed by Michael Jordan. Grinning, Donna thinks about the day the balls were delivered and how stunned he’d seemed that he was gifted such an amazing prize. 

Things have changed,  _ a lot _ , since then, and she can’t believe it’s all come to an end. Faye had beaten them down, one by one, trying to prove that none of them were worthy of being practicing lawyers. She’d appointed Katrina as managing partner until everything was over, and she’d done a great job, but there was nothing else they could do to keep the firm alive. Specter Litt Williams Bennett, which bared the name for all of five months, was disbanding. All the associates somehow still left fighting for their company had been let out of their contracts and sent to the other top law firms in the city. Benjamin fought with them until the very end until Donna found him an IT position at Stu’s company. 

Everything was changing. 

Louis and Sheila had decided last week to move to Boston, letting her focus on Harvard and their new baby boy while Louis applied for a judgeship. It fit, Louis has always wanted to be a judge, and now that the firm was no more, he didn’t see the need in staying. He could be a stay at home dad until he found the right job, allowing Sheila to go back to work sooner. It was somehow… perfect… for Louis, and she couldn’t be happier for him. 

Samantha had never come back, deciding to sue Faye for wrongful termination. Once the case was over, and lost, the blonde woman decided to open her own legal clinic. She’d asked Alex and Katrina to join her, to help her build it from the ground up, and they’d agreed. They found a building not far from the firm and would begin taking clients within the next few months. 

It was exciting, everyone was taking on new roles and responsibilities, getting out of the place that had become so toxic since the older tyrant had come flying in on her broomstick, threatening to have everyone disbarred.

“Hey,” she whispers, making her way over to the window. Her hand reaches out, taking Harvey’s in hers. 

He gives her a light squeeze, another disheartened puff of air coming out of him. Donna knows this is hard, this firm has been his life for so long. She can’t imagine them working anywhere else. 

But things have changed, started changing the moment Jessica left, and they never recovered. Tonight was the last night any of them were allowed to work there, and now she and Harvey were the last to leave. Everyone had gone home, back to their families, ready to embrace this new stage of life. 

Now, standing here, she realizes that they truly are all the other has left. Lily’s death had come out of nowhere, knocking both of them on their asses. Her funeral had been a few months ago, and since then, she and Harvey had grown even closer. He’d told her soon after they returned home from Boston that he couldn’t imagine life without her, and she’d promised the same thing to him. 

He was it for her. Forever. 

They stand there, both staring out onto the New York skyline, admiring the lights still lit up on the skyscrapers. 

Donna can hear the janitors outside his office and down the hall, their vacuums whirring to life as they attempt to clean the offices in preparation for a new day. A day that won’t see Harvey Specter and Donna Paulsen power walking the halls. 

She sighs, leaning her head on his shoulder. “What do we do now?” she asks quietly, not wanting to disturb the bubble of silence surrounding them. 

Harvey turns, causing her head to lift as she looks at him questioningly. She tilts her head to the side, the long, strawberry blonde hair falling off her shoulder. 

He blows out a breath, almost a relieved sigh, as he grins demurely her way. She can see that his eyes are glossy, knows he’s trying his hardest not to cry. His large hand takes hers, lifting it up to his mouth. Harvey presses a kiss to her knuckle, his lips grazing over the engagement ring he’d given her two weeks ago. 

She smiles up at him from under her long lashes, a blush creeping up her cheeks. He normally doesn’t touch her in the office, both of them deciding together to not show any public displays of affection while at work. But, she supposes, they are the only ones left, and they don’t technically work here anymore, so what does it matter?

Harvey simply shrugs, his grin growing into a smile as his lips pull away from her diamond. “Doesn’t matter,” he concedes, more nonchalantly than she’d been expecting, “as long as we are together.”

Donna’s smile beams brighter, matching his goofy grin as they stand there, hands interlocked, and gazing into each other’s eyes. Breaking the contact, she lifts up another basketball and twirls it around in her hand. She looks at him from over the orange sphere, smirking, then placing it into the large cardboard box at their feet, adding it to the collection of memorabilia he’d already packed away for the movers to take within the next few days. 

He adds another, then takes her hand, reassuring her that they will be alright. “We’ll figure something out,” he promises, and she knows he’s right. 

She’d been worried at first when they found out the firm was shutting down, but she can’t imagine not working with her fiancé, so she has to have faith that things will work out. 

And having faith in Harvey Specter is something Donna has (very rarely) struggled with. He always finds a solution to his, and their, problems. It’s the protector in him, that fierce loyalty he has toward the people he loves; he never wants to see them in a tight spot so he does all he can to fix it. It’s one of the things she loves so much about him. 

“Come on,” she says, tugging on his hand. “Let’s go home.”

Nodding, Harvey smiles at her, taking a few steps away from the window with her, then pulling her body to his. He presses his lips to hers, lingering for a few seconds, before pulling back just enough to smile once more in her direction.

He bends down, picking up a smaller box off the glass table in front of his leather couch. “Home,” he nods, pecking another quick kiss to her lips. 

Harvey walks to his desk, taking a canopener she spies sitting on the glass tabletop, and tosses it inside the box as well. 

Turning back to her, he smirks, and she raises her perfectly shaped eyebrow, asking if he also remembered to pack to thumbtacks. 

“Two boxes of them, actually,” he quips, bouncing the box in his hands to make the contents rattle.

They chuckle softly, making their way out of the office hand in hand. When they reach the elevator, they both stop in their tracks. There’s a man there, back facing them, slowly removing each letter of the firm’s name from the wall, the  _ Spe _ in Specter all that remains when they catch a glimpse of the handyman’s work. 

Donna glances over to Harvey, catches the hitch in his chest as he takes in a deep breath. She imagines seeing all of their names removed for good really put the nail in the coffin for him. 

He turns, catches her gaze, and shakes his head, silently asking her not to comment on it. 

Ducking her head in agreement, she turns to face the receptionist desk as Harvey presses the button to call up the elevator. 

They both take a moment, studying the room around them, memories of the past fifteen years overwhelming them both. 

Donna watches as the office lights are turned off, one by one, as the janitors finish cleaning them, and her eyes well with tears. This is the last time she’ll ever stand here, ever watch those lights go out, and she can’t help but think how truly lucky she was that she approached this arrogant, young lawyer in a bar so,  _ so _ long ago. 

And she knows that no matter what tomorrow brings, they’ll conquer it together, side by side, like they always have.

{**************************}

_ Thoughts? Please review! _


	6. The One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harvey comes home after Lily's funeral with a surprise for Donna.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How many fics can I write where Harvey proposes or they’re already engaged? Who knows! Lol… This was written before 909 aired, so take this for what it is haha… even though it’s not how it turned out in canon, I hope you enjoy!
> 
> {*****************************}

**The One:**

She misses him. He’s been gone for almost a week. Donna had spent the weekend in Boston with him, staying by his side as he buried his mom. Harvey opted to stay there for a few more days, wanting to help Marcus and Bobby clean out her closet and spend time with the family he had left. 

She takes a sip of her wine, flipping absentmindedly through the channels. She hasn’t heard from him in the last few hours, but knows he’s probably just busy with his brother. It’s good for him, and them; they needed time to just be boys again. 

Glancing to the door when she hears keys in the lock, she turns the television off. “Hey!” she says in surprise, standing to greet him. 

“Hey,” Harvey replies, a small smile present on his face. He meets her halfway, both standing in the entrance to her living room. 

“I didn’t know you were coming home tonight,” she says, wrapping her arms about his elbows, hands trailing up to his biceps as his find purchase on her hips. “I would have gone to your place if I knew.”

He shrugs, leaning in to press a quick peck to her lips. Pulling apart, he leans more into her, their arms moving to embrace one another in a hug. “I figured you were here,” he grins softly, stating, “Let’s just stay here tonight.”

Nodding, she runs her fingers through his hair before stepping away. “How was Boston?” she asks. She walks back into the living room, plopping onto her couch. He follows behind, his bags dropping onto the floor behind the sofa. 

He smiles, joining her on the couch. “It was good,” he sighs in relief, adding, “I’m glad I got to spend time with Marcus.”

Nodding, Donna smiles, happy that he seems in better spirits than when she left him on Sunday. “I’m still sorry I couldn’t stay the whole week with you.”

Harvey assures her it’s fine, claiming, “Faye would have fired us if we’d both stayed away.” She chuckles under her breath, knowing he’s right. “I’m just glad you were there for the funeral.”

His eyes mist over with tears, and Donna scoots closer to him. Her leg that was bent up and pressed against her chest falls, knee coming to rest against his thigh. 

“I wouldn’t have been anywhere else,” she declares, running a hand through his hair before resting it on the back of the couch.

There’s a beat of silence, Harvey staring aimlessly at the coffee table in front of them as she watches his features morph from melancholy to a goofy, wide grin. 

“Why are you so smiley?” she giggles, tilting her head, trying to read his mind. 

He chuckles, his brown eyes turning away from the table and onto her hazel ones. His face is beaming, and she can’t help but to scoff a tiny laugh out at his expression. It’s so nice to see him happy like this again. 

“You know when I went on my trip with Sam, I asked if I was supposed to bring you something back?”

“Did you?” she asks with dry sarcasm, chin ducking down almost against her chest as her eyebrows both raise in suspicion. 

His only response is to grin brightly, his hands reaching to take hers, moving his body closer to hers. Without answering her question, he inquires, “Do you remember the night I told you we would be together forever?”

She remembers alright, could never forget. It was the night Harvey had practically proposed to her, the night she knew without a shadow of a doubt that this was it for them. This was their forever, their life from now on. The thought of being with Harvey for the rest of her life makes her stomach flip, the feeling of a swarm of butterflies being released from their cage. She always thought they’d work together forever, always be in each other’s lives as best friends, but never did she imagine that he’d see what was right in front of his face for so long. 

Donna nods in reply. “The night I met your mom,” she whispers, tears beginning to pool in her eyes as she thinks back to the only time she got to talk to his mother. She was a lovely woman, and Donna knows if they’d had the chance to meet, they would’ve gotten along amazingly. They could have gone to art museums together and spent afternoons shopping and eating lunch when Lily was in town visiting. It would’ve been wonderful. 

Harvey smiles, squeezing her hands in his. “I had told her before that night that you were the one, and she told me I could have this to give to you.”

Donna’s eyes narrow in suspicion, looking around for what he could be talking about. She takes a glimpse over the back of the couch and down to his luggage but doesn’t see anything. Was it a painting of Lily’s? It might be a nice idea to add it to the wall in his apartment where her duck painting now resides. 

“I was going to get it from her next week when we went to visit, but,” he says, trailing off as a touch of sadness colors his words. They had been planning since the night of their phone call with his mother to go visit next weekend, but now… 

She nods in understanding, silently communicating that he doesn’t need to say any more about it. She knows exactly what he means. 

“She told me the night you gave me her painting that she had it on her dresser, waiting for us to come over.” He sighs, shaking his head as if to shake away the painful memories. 

Harvey lifts his eyes from where they’d dropped to their linked fingers up to her face. His eyes swell with tears, happier than the tears she’d last seen him shed, and her head cocks to the side once more. She’s confused, but he seems happy, and his happiness is all she’s concerned with at the moment.

“What is it?” she chuckles, eyebrows pinching together. 

He shifts, hip popping up to give him room as he digs into his pants pocket. When he removes his hand, he’s holding a delicate ring. Silver band with a diamond in the middle. It’s surrounded by tiny little diamonds, almost making it appear as a flower—a nice nod to the hippies they were in their youth. 

A tiny gasp leaves her body, so quiet that she’s not even sure if Harvey heard it. 

“Donna,” he says her name almost like a reverent prayer. He takes her hand in his, and she notices the slight tremble of his fingers. “My dad once told me that when I meet the one, I would know… and I do.”

Her teeth toy with her bottom lip, trying to suppress the cry wanting to leave her body. Her eyes are misted over with tears once again, and all she can do is smile broadly as she listens to his words. 

He’s rambling now, apparently trying to get everything out before she can respond. It’s as if he’s had all these things bottled up for so long, that he simply had to get them out  _ now. _ It’s adorable, really. 

“I know their marriage wasn’t that solid in the end,” he amends, “but when my dad gave her this ring, they loved each other so completely.” She nods, knowing that his parents’ love was pure and beautiful in the beginning. “It was his promise to love her forever. And he did.” Harvey takes a breath, licking his lips. He shifts on his spot, bouncing her hand that he’s still holding just a touch. “This ring represents the strongest love I’ve ever known… other than the love I have for you.”

She can’t help the tear that trickles down her cheek, her free hand reaching up to wipe it away. Sniffling, her head ducks down, eyes flicking up to look at him shyly from under her lashes. God, she loves this man so damn much. 

He leans in, forehead pressing against hers as she lets more tears fall. The salty drops hit their interlocked hands that rest in her lap, and she looks up to see that he has tears in his eyes as well. 

Harvey presses a kiss to her hairline, then pulls back, barely, but enough that their vision isn’t crossed when looking at each other. “I want to achieve things with you that I could have never done on my own,” he admits, bringing her hand up to kiss her palm. 

He breathes her in, nose pressing into her flesh before he drops their hands back in between them. “I love you so much, Donna.”

She beams, a tear traveling down her cheek as she responds with, “I love you, too.”

“And we can get another ring if you want,” he babbles, holding up his mother’s former engagement ring. “I know this one isn’t —” 

“— No,” she says emphatically, shaking her head. “It’s perfect.” And it is. “You’re perfect,” Donna adds, echoing his words from a week and a half ago. 

Harvey smiles, lifting her left hand up higher. He goes to slip the ring off, and in true Donna fashion, she pulls back, eyes widening in mock-disbelief. “You haven’t even asked me yet!”

They chuckle together, his head dipping to one side, giving her an unmistakable deadpanned look that says,  _ Only you would say that right now _ . It’s so them that she can’t help but to swell with love for him once more. 

“Donna,” he says, growing serious again. “Will you marry me?”

It’s the words she never thought, but always dreamed, she’d hear from Harvey Specter. Flashes of the last fifteen years fly through her mind, like flipping a stack of glossy photographs in quick succession. She sees herself going up to him in the bar and introducing herself, sees their first week working together at the DA’s office. She thinks about the time they moved to Gordon Schmidt Van Dyke, and how he’d worked his way up from associate to name partner over the years. 

She was always so proud of him. Memories of dinner parties and nights at Del Posto come to mind, him saving her from going to jail, late night almost-confessions of their true feelings, realizing she was in love with him and having to keep it to herself for years. 

She smiles as she remembers the feeling she’d been overwhelmed with the night she opened her door, the look on his face as he stepped toward her, taking her in his arms in the way she’d always wanted him to ever since their one and only time together so many years ago. 

“Of course,” she confirms, nodding and smiling. “Of course I will.”

“... As long as you promise to always keep strawberries and whip cream in the refrigerator,” she says in the sassiest of tones. 

He laughs, nodding in agreement, telling her, “I’ll keep it fully stocked as long as you promise to always keep the can opener cleaned and ready.”

Chuckling, she just smiles at their antics, memories of the past decade and a half warming her soul. “I do,” she promises, thoughts of making another lifelong promise in a few months standing beneath an altar coming to her mind. 

She’s crying now at the thought of spending her life with this man, no sense in hiding it from the one person who knows her better than herself. He’s crying, too, both of them overcome with joy.

Harvey takes a deep breath, reaching up to wipe a fallen tear off her cheek as she does the same to him. Always so in sync, another thing she loves about them. He slides the diamond ring onto her shaking finger, staring at it with a peaceful smile on his lips. 

She brings it up closer to her eye line, examining its beauty. “I love it,” she breathes, dropping her hand back into his waiting one. “And I love you.”

Whatever is happening, or will happen, at the firm, no matter what Faye tries to do to them, none of it matters right now. In this moment, it’s just her and Harvey, together.

They smile, both leaning toward one another in tandem, lips meeting in a solid embrace. Their hands caress each other’s arms, hers coming to rest around his shoulders. His strong hands roam over her thighs, onto her biceps, and into her hair. He pulls her closer, and she goes willingly, body sliding to sit in his lap. 

They spend the next few minutes wrapped in each other’s kisses, tongues exploring just as their hands do as well. 

Pulling back, he suggests they go to bed. She nods and stands, taking his hand in hers. They make love that night, more passionately than she ever remembers them doing before, a promise of a future together fueling their desire.

As she listens to his soft snores later that night, she falls asleep running her fingers over the diamond that now resides on her left hand forever. 

{****************************}

_ I was really tempted to change it to his grandma’s ring like in the show, but since I wrote this before 909 aired, I figured I’d keep it so it was a tad more original haha.  _

_ Thanks to the few girls I’ve met in this fandom that have welcomed me with open arms. It’s really hard coming into a fandom at the end of a series/when I already ship another couple that Darvey people don’t care about seeing on their timelines lol! I’ve been struggling to decide if I want to keep writing these snippets of their lives… but I’m trash and just keep coming up with ideas to write so… you’re stuck with me LOL _

_ I hope you enjoyed this one! Please leave a review and RT if you can to help spread the word… Thanks! _


	7. Last One for the Road

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mike and Harvey plan one last con.... for Donna.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was written based on the spoiler of Harvey’s wedding ring (ahhhh!!) and multiple head canons all mixed together haha… it’s a take on what *could* happen in the finale, but I am 99% positive we won’t see their wedding on screen due to time restraints and whatnot..... But anyway, thanks to all the girls that helped look this one over and gave me lots of encouragement! I hope you enjoy...Please review.
> 
> {*************************}

She was prepared. Always ahead of the game when it came to planning things in life. 

The moment Harvey put his grandmother’s ring on her finger, she started brainstorming what her dream wedding would be. She already knew, as most women do, what color scheme she wanted, what type of flowers, and how the reception would look, long before she even began dating Harvey. 

But being here now, with him, getting to plan the specifics of  _ their _ wedding was beyond thrilling.

She was working on the guest list, nothing extravagant, but not an amount that could be hosted in a backyard either. Writing down names, and scratching some out, deciding who should be there to celebrate them. There’s been so much chaos going on lately with the firm. After getting engaged, Harvey had jokingly said that their wedding would be a great way to give people something to celebrate, but he was right. Having their friends and family come together to watch them become man and wife  _ would _ be a great reason to celebrate, especially in the midst of everything else happening in their lives. Donna smiles to herself, unable to contain her excitement.

She is marrying the man of her dreams. She is marrying her best friend. She is marrying Harvey Specter. 

“I was thinking we could invite Alex’s grandpa,” she states, giggling to herself as she looks up to Harvey when he walks into the living room. She’s propped on the floor, back against the leather couch, huddled over a notebook where she’s kept all of her plans. “Alex mentioned that his Pops and Gretchen had gotten along really well at his dinner party a few months ago.” She shrugs, adding, “Might be cute to see where that leads.” 

Smirking, Donna’s eyebrows waggle, and Harvey huffs amusedly, shaking his head at her antics. “Oh, and I was thinking we should invite Scottie now that she knows we’re together,” she rambles on, looking at her list of names. “She was so supportive and happy when she found out; she told me she was glad you finally saw it.” Donna snorts at the memory, having talked to Scottie one day after Lily had passed away. The brunette had called Harvey to give her condolences, and Donna had picked up his phone while he was in the shower. The two women talked for a while, and she’d revealed the news of their relationship. Smiling, Donna looks up to Harvey when she realizes he hasn’t said anything. 

“Donna…” he sighs, trailing off. 

Donna clicks her multi-colored pen shut, setting it down and standing up from her current work station. “What is it?” she asks, brows furrowing in concern. She walks the few short strides separating them, taking his hands in her own and letting them gently sway between their bodies. 

Harvey sighs again, eyes closing as he takes a deep breath. 

_ That can never mean anything good _ , she thinks. 

His eyes open, guilt coloring his features as he confesses, “I don’t know if I can do this whole… big wedding thing.” 

Her head bobs to the side, curiously, as she asks him what he means. 

They’ve only been engaged for a week, she knows she’s jumping the gun, but she wanted to be prepared knowing how quickly everything else in their relationship has progressed. “Is it because I’m already making so many plans?”

“No, no,” he insists, head shaking assuredly. “That’s not it. It’s just…” he sighs again, seemingly unable to get the words out tonight. 

His brown eyes roll heavenward before landing back on hers, glossier than they were seconds ago. “Without my dad  _ or  _ my mom?” He shrugs, defeatedly, a regretful huff following. “It just doesn’t feel right.”

It all makes perfect sense. It’s only been a few weeks since Lily passed away, the grief still so present in the forefront of his mind. She kicks herself, knowing she should’ve known this was all too much for him right now. 

She rubs her lips together, shaking her head slowly when he starts to apologize. “Don’t be sorry,” she whispers, stepping into his open arms. 

He wraps his arms around her shoulders, kissing the top of her head. “I know you want your dream wedding—”

A myriad of emotions swirls inside her, tears springing to her eyes. She squeezes her eyes shut tightly while her head still rests on his chest, not wanting him to see her disappointment. “It’s okay,” she promises, because it is. It sucks, but she gets it. She turns to press her nose into the crook of his neck, declaring to him, “I understand.” She forces the tears down and leans back enough to see his face. Her hand comes up, one finger pressing against his lips to silence him when she sees he is about to apologize once more. “Harvey,” she breathes out a quiet chuckle, tears filling her expressive eyes again as she shakes her head at his words, “I don’t care if we get married on the side of the road as long as I get to marry  _ you _ .”

And she means it. She may want the wedding she’s dreamt about since she was younger, the one she told Rachel all about during one of their many girls nights, but it’s Harvey, and marrying him  _ is _ her dream, all the other details don’t matter in the long haul. 

Smiling, he leans down, pressing a passionate kiss to her lips. She moans into the contact, lips spreading into a smile wide enough that it gives him room to slide his tongue inside. They stand there, arms wrapped around one another, until the need for air overwhelms them. 

She pulls apart, both grinning wildly at the other. They discuss a few more particulars, deciding it makes sense not to wait, wanting to elope while Mike is still in town so he could be their witness. They’d decided together just the other night to leave the firm for good, joining Mike and Rachel in Seattle. 

_ “I think it’s time to leave the firm,” he’d told her, looking at her in apprehension. _

_ She looked up from her phone, locking it as she questioned, “And do what?” _

_ “Move?” he shrugged, brow lifting as if his answer was obvious.  _

_ Donna chuckled, cocking her head to the side, asking him where they would move to.  _

_ Harvey gave her a look that said, ‘Isn’t it obvious?’ and as she thought over the possibilities, there was only one clear answer. “Seattle.” _

_ He nodded in agreement, smiling when her face lit up as well. She missed Rachel, and living closer to them would be an amazing experience. Scary, because Donna had lived in New York for most of her life, but with Harvey by her side, they could conquer any fear she had. “Mike said they have a position for me,” he told her, walking around the kitchen island. He picked up the knife and began chopping some vegetables to add to the pot already on the stove top.  _

_ “As an associate?” she jested, and he playfully rolled his eyes, saying that was actually Mike’s first answer. He told her that he would be able to work side by side with Mike again as partners. “I’m not going to be your secretary again,” she said seriously. “I’ve worked too hard to move up.” _

_ He came back around the island where she sat at a barstool, turning it so she faced him. “I know that,” he whispered, both arms resting on either side of her hips. “And I would never ask you to do that.”  _

_ He explained that their friends were in need of a COO to help keep their firm organized and running smoothly, and Rachel had kept the position open just for her.  _

_ She grinned and nodded, pecking his lips before he went back to cooking their dinner.  _

She was beyond excited to live close to her best friend again, especially with the Ross’ baby on the way any day now. “So this weekend at the courthouse?” he asks, eyebrows raising. 

Donna’s lips turn upward, giggling. Despite feeling happy, she feels a pit of sadness in her stomach knowing she’ll have to let her dream wedding go. But she would do anything for Harvey, and she understands how hard it would be for him not having his mom in the front row, supporting their union as a married couple. “As long as I can still wear the dress I saw at Bloomingdales the other day,” she replies sarcastically, smirking at him.

It was a beautiful white dress that she’d just happened to see the day after their engagement. She’d thought about it all day while at work, then couldn’t get her mind off of it at home that night. He’d asked her what she was preoccupied with, and she’d admitted to already having found the dress she’d want to walk down the aisle in. 

She hadn’t gone back to get it, thinking they would take a little bit more time to plan their wedding. But now with the elopement in the works, she just hopes it’s still there in the morning.

Harvey chuckles and agrees, telling her she can wear whatever she wants. “And then we can go spend a week in Jamaica for our honeymoon.”

Her eyes sparkle with glee, biting her bottom lip and bouncing on her toes like a kid on Christmas morning. “Jamaica?!”

Snorting, Harvey nods his head. She’d told him years ago that Jamaica was her dream vacation spot, but of course, working at the firm meant being too busy to take vacation time, so she never got to go. She raises onto her tiptoes, pressing another kiss to his lips. 

“Come on,” she announces, crinkling her nose, “let’s go to bed.”

She walks to the coffee table, flipping her notepad closed and turning off her laptop. “Ready?” she asks, turning to face him. He confirms that he is with a peck to her cheek before following behind her. 

Before they make it to their bedroom, however, he turns on his heel, heading back toward the kitchen. “What are you doing?” she queries, and Donna can’t help but guffaw when he responds with, “I can’t forget the strawberries and whip cream!”

{*************************}

A few days later, Donna stands before her floor length mirror, examining her white wedding dress. She’d bought it the day after Harvey suggested getting married this weekend at the courthouse; she was pleasantly surprised to see it was still at the store and her size. It only needed a little alteration around her bust, but Harvey’s suit guy was able to get her in quickly to remedy the situation. 

She pins the right side of her hair back away from her face, a tiny, silver hair clip with a dainty, diamond and sapphire drama mask adorning it, holding her locks back. It was modest, unable to identify it as a mask until you were up close enough, but that’s what she loved about it. It was a subtle nod toward her parents and the way they’d fostered her love of theatre most of her life. She found it years ago in an antique store and had bought it in hopes of wearing it one day. 

Once Harvey had proposed, she pulled it out of her jewelry box, laughing gently to herself when she realized it matched her engagement ring with the diamond and blue stones. It would be her something old and something blue. Her dress being the new, but the borrowed? That would have to come in the form of a pair of robin’s egg blue heels that she borrowed from Rachel years ago and forgotten to give back. It was perfect. 

The rest of her long, strawberry blonde hair is swept to one side, curling softly on the ends. She runs her hands through the strands, twisting a piece on the end to perfect the shape of the curl. 

Running her hands down the lace fabric, Donna smirks as she imagines Harvey’s face. They may be getting hitched at the courthouse, but that wasn’t going to stop Donna Paulsen from stopping every man and woman in their tracks as she made her entrance into the building. Eloping or not, this was still her wedding day.

“You ready?” Mike asks, rapping his knuckles against the entryway to her and Harvey’s bedroom.

She beams at their little puppy, nodding in answer. Seeing Mike in his black suit, skinny, robin’s egg blue tie and all, makes her eyes water. 

“You look incredible,” he breathes, walking toward her. He presses his lips to her cheek, smiling when he pulls away. “Rachel is so upset she’s having to miss this.”

Donna’s face softens, almost morphing in sympathy at the thought of her best friend not being by her side today of all days. “I know she is,” she concedes, “but she’s too pregnant to fly, so really she can just blame you for that.”

They laugh together before Mike outstretches his bent elbow, beckoning her to loop her arm in his. She does, and he guides her out of the condo and down to where Ray is waiting on them.

When they arrive, Ray opens the door and Mike comes around to help her out of the black town car. “This… isn’t the courthouse…” she claims, equal parts confusion and suspicion coloring her words and features. 

Mike chuckles, looking from the other man to Donna. “No. It isn’t.” He’s got that smug grin on his face, the one that always tells her he thinks he’s bested her, and today she thinks he might actually have gotten her for once.

Her eyes narrow, asking him what he’s up to. He holds up his hands in surrender, admitting that it wasn’t just him. “Let’s just say Harvey and I wanted to pull one last con together in this town before we all said goodbye.”

She glances up toward the building, fighting the urge to smirk at his words. They’re at the New York Library, and she can feel a lump forming in her throat. They were hosting a month long feature on the Romantic era of literature and poetry — works from Shakespeare and Blake, Wordsworth, Lord Byron, and more. She’d told Harvey they needed to go before it was over. “It houses all the greatest love stories, right?” Mike asks, his eyes softening with a warm smile when she looks back to him.

She can already feel the tears fighting to form in her eyes, but she blinks it away, taking a deep breath. “What is going on?” she giggles, still not fully understanding.

“Hi, Sweetheart,” she hears, her head whipping to the front entrance of the building.

“Dad?” 

James Paulsen walks toward her, arms outstretched. He’s in a dark gray suit with a blue tie, his glasses starting to fog at the top. She chuckles wetly, curling into his embrace. “You look beautiful.”

She smiles, those traitorous tears filling the base of her eyes as she whispers, “Thank you.” He asks if she’s ready, and she says she is. “Even though I still don’t really know what is happening.”

Mike and James share a look, causing her to roll her eyes. 

“You’re getting married,” her friend explains, as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world. He hands her a bouquet, and she stares at it, wondering how he knew exactly what kind to get her. 

Looking at him curiously, the younger man shrugs, lips turning down, then back up with a satisfied look on his face. “You really did tell Rachel everything you wanted at your wedding.”

She grins, taking the bouquet from him. He makes some off handed remark about girls and always planning things before they even happen, and she scoffs, swatting at his chest. “So does this mean you’re my bridesman?”

His mouth falls in mock-horror, one hand coming to rest against his chest. “I’ll have you know that I am acting as both bridesman  _ and _ groomsman today… at least until we get inside. Then I’m just the groomsman.” 

Sinking her teeth into her plump, red lip, she takes her father’s arm, following behind Mike as he leads them up the stairs. 

When he opens the double doors to a large room off to the left of the library’s entrance, she lets out a small gasp. 

Those tears she’s been fighting can’t be contained, and two of them trickle down her cheeks. A hand raises to her lips to stop the sob from escaping. There, before her, stands Harvey at the end of an aisle. He’s under an altar made up of greenery along with ivory and blue peonies and hydrangeas. There are soft white fairy lights hanging behind the altar, giving a luminous glow against Harvey’s skin. He’s in his black tux with a pale blue flower on the breast pocket; it’s the suit she’d told him was her favorite, complete with a vest. She was always a sucker for a three piece suit, so she insisted he wear one to (what she thought was) their elopement. Her fiancé stands at the end of the aisle, clearly marked by the off-white runner that goes from where she stands to him. 

Her eyes scan the entire room quickly, trying to take it all in before she walks down the aisle. There are robin’s egg blue flower petals on the side of the runner and large, gray lanterns with candles inside lining her path. Each lantern has light blue and ivory peonies inside as well, her favorite.

On either side of the walkway, in matching white chairs, sit their friends and family. She can’t make out everyone in her perusal of the venue, but she spies Stephanie from the DA’s office sitting with her husband, Ray and his wife, a woman she thinks is Scottie with her date, as well as who she assumes is Marcus up in the front. She quietly giggles to herself, locking eyes with Harvey. He grins at her, and she shakes her head.

It’s not a large crowd, not even half the people she’d had on her guest list, but the most important ones are there and that’s all that matters. 

The music begins, and James gives her arm a loving pat as he begins to lead her down the aisle. Stu and Katrina sit together on one side, smiling as she passes them. Jessica is there with tears in her eyes, grinning proudly at Harvey. There’s Robert and Laura, Gretchen with Pops, Alex and his family… everyone she loves is here to support them, and she’s overcome with a sense of gratitude. 

She catches Harvey’s gaze again, beaming brightly as she makes her way closer to him, ready to begin their life together.

{*************************}

She’s stunning. Always is, but this, today… it’s everything. 

As soon as the doors open, his breath is lost to him. He has to remind himself to breathe as he watches his fiancée, his Donna, make her way toward him. 

Her dress is beautiful — long and white, lace covering it as it flows to the ground, a small train trailing behind her. It hugs all her glorious curves, billowing out just slightly away from her hips. The spaghetti straps lead down to a low cut neckline, which doesn’t stop until almost mid-stomach, revealing her ample cleavage. It’s sexy as hell, but also the most gorgeous and sophisticated dress he thinks she’s ever worn. 

Her hair is pulled back slightly from her face, and he smiles, always loving when he can see her features so clearly. 

The music plays, something soft and slow, though he can’t say exactly what song it is; all his attention is focused on Donna as she makes her way slowly toward him. However, he knows it’s the song she wanted to walk down the aisle to, having consulted with Rachel who worked with a wedding planner over the last few days to help pull this all off with him and Mike. 

He glances down, a choked sob falling from him when he sees her bouquet. It’s a collection of white peonies and baby's breath wrapped in burlap, but the detail that gets him is the one large, white lily resting in the middle of the other flowers.

_ “Hey, look at this,” she said late one night, turning the laptop around to face him in the bed. He chuckled, poking fun of her for already looking at bouquets and dresses online when they’d only just gotten engaged hours ago.  _

_ She rolled her eyes, smacking a hand against his chest. “You can never be too prepared,” she told him with a roll of her eyes.  _

_ His joking stopped, though, when he studied the picture. It was a bouquet of white lilies that a bride was holding. His eyes misted over as she said, “Would it be okay if I paid tribute to your mom by putting a single lily in my bouquet?” tilting her head closer to his shoulder as she looked at the screen as well. “There was always only just one special Lily in our lives, you know?” _

He’d kissed her that night, deeply and passionately, overwhelmed with the love he felt for her. He’d promised her that night that  _ Of course it’s okay _ , but he isn’t sure how Mike knew to order it just like that in their con to plan this wedding all behind Donna’s back. He assumes Rachel, like with all the little details he was unsure about, their friend promising him multiple times the last few days that she and Donna had discussed their dream weddings in detail.

Taking a shuddered inhale, Harvey swallows the lump in his throat. She makes her way closer to him, and though he’s curious to see how other people are reacting to her jaw-dropping beauty, he can’t take his eyes off of her long enough to glance at anyone else. No one in the room matters except her anyway.

She finally gets to him, tears shining in her hazel eyes as she looks at him in disbelief. All he can do is smirk, knowing he was able to con her into this wedding, truly surprising her unlike he’d ever been able to do before.

Louis stands under the altar, acting as their officiant, and Harvey notes the tears shining in his eyes as well. Louis has become one of her closest friends over the years, and knowing he got certified to officiate a wedding just for them makes Harvey respect and love the man even more. 

“Who gives this bride away?”

James replies in the affirmative, then kisses Donna’s cheek before joining Clara on the front row. 

Donna watches him make his way to his seat, smiling tenderly at her mother. She then turns back to him, leaning in and whispering, “I can’t believe you pulled this off.”

Harvey shrugs with a proud upturn of his lips, disclosing that he had some help. He dips his head in the direction of Samantha who stands as Donna’s bridesmaid. She’s in a light blue dress that matches the redhead’s heels and holding a phone where Rachel awaits on FaceTime, both bridesmaids teary eyed already.

Donna laughs wetly as her tears escape. Rachel waves silently, rubbing her belly and giving the bride a thumbs up. 

She beams and quickly waves to her best friend, then faces Harvey once more, supplying him a look that’s equal parts,  _ You are the best thing to happen to me,  _ and,  _ You are so dead _ .

He goes to give her a kiss as his smug reply of,  _ I know _ , but Louis stops him with a dramatic hand in between their faces, claiming, “Not just yet!”

The crowd chuckles, as do Harvey and Donna. They pull apart, Donna shaking her head at him as her lips twist, clearly trying to suppress her amusement, shock, and emotion all in one. She takes a deep, labored breath, and he can tell she’s attempting to hold back the tears that she so desperately wants to let fall. 

As the ceremony begins, he gazes into her beautiful eyes the whole time, all the love he has for her shining in his own. He’s lost in them, imagining a smaller version of himself but with those hazel eyes staring back at him. Harvey smiles broadly at the thought, then his mind flicks to the image of a little red haired beauty with brown eyes and two little moles above her eyebrow. It’s a beautiful sight, but he clears his throat, blinking as he pulls himself back to reality. Donna squeezes his hand several times throughout Louis’ sweet words, both giving each other soft glances. 

When it’s time for the vows, Harvey suddenly feels nervous. He’s great at telling Donna how he feels in private, but being open and vulnerable in front of everyone else? That’s a different story. 

He takes a long pull of breath, though, taking her thin, silver ring from Mike. He holds it, hovering around the tip of her finger, saying, “Donna, I knew from the moment I met you that you were something special.” Images of a younger redhead with bangs introducing herself at the bar pops in his mind, and he grins. “It just took me a while to see that you were  _ my _ something special.”

Smiling, almost shyly, Donna’s eyes grow wet again as he continues. “You have always been there for me, never leaving me… you’ve loved me, been by my side and  _ on _ my side through thick and thin. No one has ever believed in me like you have.” He clears his throat, his emotions taking over. He pauses, eyes cast down as he collects himself before lifting them back up to her face. “You’ve always had faith in me, and it’s that faith that got me through some of the toughest times in my life.”

She nods demurely, and he knows she understands what he means. “You are the greatest person I’ve ever known, and I am so lucky that you chose to love me.” He smiles at her, reaching up to wipe a tear from under his eye. With a ragged breath, he continues, “Thank you for being patient and waiting on me to come to my senses and realize what was right in front of my eyes for so many years.” His head shakes, still kicking himself for taking so long to see it. There were so many times that he could have given in, could have taken her in his arms, but he fought that desire and pushed it down, telling himself it was just because they were such good friends. He was an idiot. 

Sniffling, Donna laughs quietly at his words. He thinks he hears another titter from the audience, but he doesn’t dare look away from her to see. Too mesmerized by the way she’s staring at him — with so much love in her eyes that he thinks his heart might explode, bursting like fireworks on the Fourth of July.

He slips the ring on her finger, quoting Louis who has him vow to take Donna Roberta Paulsen as his lawfully wedded wife… for better or for worse… to love and protect from this day forward. He chokes out the end of his repeated vows, caught up in the emotions of what he is promising. It’s a vow that so many break, but he can’t imagine  _ not _ loving and protecting Donna through every trial and tribulation life may throw at them. Hell, he’s already been doing that for the last fifteen years, but now, this, today, means so much more to him. He loves Donna with every fiber of his soul, and all he wants to do is to be able to have her call him her husband, to be partners in every sense of the word. 

It’s then Donna’s turn, and her eyes widen comically. Her head tilts to the side as she says through clenched teeth, “I didn’t know we were writing our own vows,  _ Harvey. _ ” 

He smirks, giving her the cockiest look he can muster. He shrugs and tells her she’s always been quick on her feet, so he’s positive she’ll think of something spectacular.

She rolls her eyes but smiles, taking a moment to collect her thoughts. She turns to Samantha, taking his wedding band from her palm and winking at Rachel through the phone. 

Harvey hadn’t told her about creating their own vows, simply because he wanted it to be a surprise (and he had no doubt she’d think of something eloquent and heartfelt on the spot as only Donna could do), but as he watches her mentally prepare, he isn’t sure if he’s ready to hear her words. 

He knows they’ll be beautiful, and emotional, but he’s already cried enough today to last a lifetime. Donna’s eyes close for a beat, inhaling deeply, then open again, trailing her eyes back up to meet his. Her gorgeous irises, the ones he could stare at forever and never tire of, are already shining with tears, and it makes that lump form in his throat again. 

“Harvey,” she murmurs breathlessly, giving his hand a squeeze. “You are my best friend.” They smile at one another, and he gives her hands a squeeze in return. “You have been in my life longer than… anyone that I know. You’ve been my closest friend for most of that, and I can’t imagine my life without you in it.” She glimpses up to the ceiling, chin quivering as she clearly tries to contain her tears long enough to speak. 

“And I’m so glad you chose to let me be in it  _ this _ way, too,” she huffs out a small laugh as she blinks rapidly, trying to contain her emotions. Her words are no longer able to disguise the fact that she’s crying, and his throat grows tight. He has to breathe in shakily when he sees her eyes fill with tears. Continuing in a wobbly voice, she declares, “You have always protected me, cared for me. You’ve made me laugh when I was sad, smile when I was mad…” She smirks as her head ducks slightly, eyes raising from under her lashes to look up at him in that sassy way he loves so much as she adds dryly, “even when I was mad at you.”

Their friends chuckle, and he’s almost positive he hears Jessica make a comment about that one from somewhere in the audience. 

Donna’s eyes crinkle at the corners as she smiles, her eyes softening as she grows serious again. “You’ve loved me so completely. You’ve been my rock when I thought my whole world was falling apart. You’re the strongest, bravest, and greatest man that I know.” 

A tear slips from his eyes at her words, sniffling as he attempts to reel it in. “I’ve watched you evolve into this  _ incredible _ man over the years, and I’m so proud of you.” She stops, choking on a sob. She seems to calm herself, both of them blowing out synchronized, calming breaths. “I love you so much, and I’m so thankful you love me too.”

She slides the silver band onto his finger, a tear of hers falling onto his skin. She repeats Louis’ words, vowing to protect Harvey Reginald Specter and love him in sickness and in health. “Til death parts us,” she whispers, teeth sinking into her trembling bottom lip. 

Louis sniffles, clearing his throat lightly as he wipes a tear from his cheek. He wraps up the ceremony, giving a short speech about love and how beautiful a thing it really is. He mentions how spectacular it was to watch the two of them come to terms with their feelings and finally admit it, and Louis cries as he explains he’s never been happier for his two best friends. 

Louis then reads one of Donna’s favorite love poems from William Shakespeare in the most dramatic way possible, as only their friend could do, causing Harvey to roll his eyes in amusement. “Love alters not with brief hours and weeks, but bears it out even to the edge of doom,” the man reads, his cheeks scrunching up near his eyes when he tearfully smiles at the couple.

Harvey grins when she subtly gasps in shock at the words, her misty eyes falling back to his. It was a small detail she’d jotted down in her wedding notebook, something she hadn’t told him about just yet. When he decided to surprise her with their nuptials, he thumbed through her notes late one night. He saw the poem’s name written down with a little cloud drawn around it. Googling it, he read the words, moved by the emotion behind it all. He knew then that it had to be recited on their big day.

He hears the words, but he’s more focused on Donna and the way she’s looking at him. Her eyes are soft, and loving, head dipped to the side as she stares at him in wonderment. 

When the poem concludes, their friend and officiant closes with a heartfelt, “I now pronounce you husband and wife.” They both beam at one another, her smile seeming to take up her entire face. He’s reminded of all the times she’d come bouncing into his office with good news, always like an excited child. His shoulders lift toward his ears, then fall, giving her an elated, goofy smile in return. “You may kiss your bride… finally.”

Harvey snorts, then leans in, placing his hands on either side of her face. Donna’s arms wrap around his neck, pulling him slightly to her. Their lips meet, lingering for a moment. He pulls apart, both brightly smiling at the other before she presses one, two, three more short pecks to his lips. 

Husband and wife. 

Damn, that sounds good. It’s a title he never thought he’d possess, never thought he’d be able to open up and love someone as much as he has her. But she’d changed him, slowly but surely, over the years. Not on purpose; she wasn’t forcing something to happen, but just by being in his life he became a better person. She helped him learn to deal with his anger toward his mom, opened his eyes how he was keeping everyone at an arm’s length instead of letting anyone in, always concerned with what was happening around him at work but never about what was going on in his heart. She’d helped him discover how to let go and be a better person all just by being his friend and support system.

They turn to face their friends, Donna looking over her shoulder to where Rachel still watches from the phone, tears streaming down her face, and blows her a kiss. 

He takes her hand, asking, “You ready, wife?” and all she can do is squeeze his hand a bit tighter, the metal of her wedding band pressing into his warm skin.

“Ready, husband,” she replies with a grin, both chuckling at their cheesiness before she kisses his cheek.

Donna looks behind them, silently asking Louis if it’s their time to walk back up the aisle, this time as a married couple. Louis scrunches his nose at her, his lips twisting to hold back his tears as he nods, and she turns back around. 

She holds up her bouquet with her free hand, doing a little shimmy of a dance as the music begins to play and their friends clap in congratulations. 

Harvey watches her; he’s never seen her so happy, and he can’t wait to show her the reception he’d planned, hoping it brings her just as much joy. 

Her hand tugs on his, pulling him back to the moment, and they make their way down the aisle, smiling at their friends and family.

{*************************}

“I can’t believe we’re married,” she says happily as Harvey sways her to one of Gordon Specter’s jazz tunes. It’s their first dance as husband and wife, and she can’t think of a better song to be celebrating that with.

Harvey laughs along with her, twirling her when the music swells. She spins, then lets him pull her back to his body, chests pressed together. Their hands are linked, and she can feel his wedding band against the skin on her hand. She’s always loved his hands, loves the way they trace every curve of her body, the way they comfort her and make her feel like she’s found a home in him. The rings are a nice feeling, though, one she’s had only a week to get used to with her ring, and she wonders if it’s an even stranger feeling for him, seeing as he never wore this type of jewelry before today. 

Her head rests against his shoulder as they go quiet, teetering back and forth as the music plays. She looks around the room, amazed that Harvey and Mike were able to pull off such a beautiful event. Too many details were exactly what she’d wanted, so she knows Rachel was a huge asset in helping him execute this so perfectly.

They’re in a large, open room of the library, one that’s tucked away from the actual library part of the building. This room is, apparently, reserved for special occasions such as this one. There are round tables covered in white linen cloths, and atop them sit gray lanterns with the blue and white peonies and a candle just like the aisle of the ceremony. 

There are white fairy lights hanging from the ceiling, forming a glowing canopy of lights above their heads. It’s all so elegant, yet simple, and she feels herself wanting to cry again, but she pushes it down, having cried enough today.

“What are you thinking about?” he asks, placing a kiss to the top of her head.

She pulls her head away from his chest, eyes almost hooded they’re so soft with love for him. She smiles lazily, body completely relaxed in this moment. “I was just taking in how gorgeous this all is,” she admits, smile growing as she looks around once more. 

“Speaking of gorgeous,” he murmurs, lips pressing against her ear. It sends a shiver down her spine, and she can feel the goosebumps rising on her skin as he whispers, “That dress does things to me that shouldn’t happen in front of our friends.”

Snickering, she lets the warmth of his breath against her ear heat her up, a tingle traveling from his lips to her core. Fuck, she can’t wait to take him home tonight, coming together for the first time as man and wife. 

His hand trails down from where it’s been resting on her bare back thanks to the low cut of her gown, inching closer to her ass. She leans her head up to meet his ear, kissing his lobe and mumbling that he needs to put his hand back where it was before she takes him to the bathroom and has her way with him. 

“Who says that’s not what I was going for?” he responds huskily, telling her she can’t move away from him just yet. She feels the proof of his words press against her thigh, and she smirks, one perfectly shaped eyebrow lifting in smug satisfaction. 

They take a few calming breaths, Donna using all her self restraint not to make out with him like teenagers right there on the dance floor and let his wandering hands rove her entire body. This dress is sexy; she’d felt confident and seductive in it each time she put it on while also feeling beautiful and sophisticated. It was a nice mix, but the saucy side was winning out in the moment as she felt the heat of his hands against her waist. 

Inhaling, she looks into his soulful eyes, conveying what she wants to do to him. He grins, saying, “Me too,” before pecking her lips. 

They dance to the song, both slowing their racing hearts as she tightens the grip her hand has on his. 

Donna thanks him again, telling him it has been the most perfect wedding day. She remembers their conversation from the other night, and she wonders what changed his mind. “We were going to elope since your parents aren’t with us anymore… What changed your mind?”

Guilt consumes her, and she hopes this hasn’t been hard for him. She would never want Harvey to do something he didn’t want to just to make her happy. They were in this together, and if eloping was what he wanted so soon after losing Lily, then that was what she was willing to do.

His face softens, clearly able to tell she feels guilty. Harvey leans in, kissing her lips gingerly. He smiles small, one shoulder lifting in a nonchalant shrug. “It was what you wanted. This was your dream for so long.”

Her brows cinch together, his answer not helping to assuage her guilt. She goes to protest, mouth opened with a  _ Har—  _ on her lips before he cuts her off. “It was selfish of me to ask you to give up your dreams,” he confesses earnestly. “The moment I asked you to elope, I knew it wasn’t right. I love you, and we’re going to be together forever, you know?” 

She nods, grinning as she thinks back to a few months ago when he’d asked her the same thing in her apartment. “I didn’t want to let the grief I still feel over my mom’s death to cast a shadow on the only wedding we’re ever going to have.”

She tears up at that, cursing herself because she thought she was done with the waterworks today. His words make her heart beat faster, the amount of love she has for this man multiplying ten fold. “Well, not unless we renew our vows years from now on some remote island,” she smirks, waggling her eyebrows.

Harvey grins, affirming they can plan that in another decade or so. He goes back to the original topic, revealing how he’d gone to work the next day and talked to Mike, telling him about their conversation from the night before and how regretful he felt. He and Mike had decided right then to pull off one final deception together, planning this exuberant wedding behind her back since she has always been the one ahead of them with everything. The idea started somewhat as a joke because he knew the two of them would never be able to pull it off, but also partially serious because he wanted to make her dreams come true. 

“But once Mike let Rachel in on our scheme, well,” his chest rattles with mirth against hers, “she told us that she knew exactly what you wanted our wedding to look like, so I started taking notes and got down to business.”

She grins at how cute he is, always so thoughtful. Harvey admits he got fairly overwhelmed trying to plan it all in just a few short days, so Rachel had hired a wedding planner to come and meet with him. “Rachel handled most of the details from Seattle, conducting ample amounts of phone calls with people here in New York.”

Chortling, Donna shakes her head at the mental image of her best friend on bedrest, bossing caterers and florists around trying to plan a quickie wedding just like Donna had done for her. 

“It’s not easy pulling something like that off, is it?” she purses her lips playfully and takes his hand as the song ends, leading him back to their table.

Mike is there, sipping on a glass of scotch, and smiles when he sees them approaching. The three of them talk with one another, then laugh at Louis’ expense as he dances unashamedly to the upbeat music, arms flailing around as he spins in circles, trying to wave people onto the floor and join him. 

They sit in silence for a moment, letting Donna soak up everything around her. She tells Harvey they need to get up soon and talk to some more guests, and he nods, taking a bite of his burger (an element of their big day just for him that Donna had decided on before they even got engaged, knowing his love for the food). 

She affectionately watches him for a moment, then looks around the room again, her fingers absentmindedly rubbing her sleek new wedding band. She smiles to herself, thinking how wonderful it feels to have it on her finger, resting beneath his grandmother’s antique ring. 

“So…” she drawls sarcastically, eyes landing back on Harvey and Mike. “Last con, huh?” She smirks when Mike looks at her with wide eyes, mid-chew when he tries to say it was all Harvey’s idea.

Her husband slaps their friend against the shoulder, causing both guys to laugh like frat boys. She’s glad they were able to work out their differences since Harvey subpoenaed Mike, both willing to let bygones be bygones and get back to how they used to be. 

She rolls her eyes at them, smiling as she listens to them chatter on about all the things they had to do to pull it off. 

It reminds her of the old days, when the three of them were still trying to keep his secret just that… a secret. She thinks back to all the shit they pulled to get their opponents to confess to a misdeed or some wrongdoing, which, funnily enough, is the whole reason Faye Pooperson had come to their firm in the first place, threatening to tear the place apart brick by brick. 

Sighing, Donna runs her fingers through her hair, removing the clip and letting the small portion that had been pinned up fall freely. They’ve taken their photos, thanks to Mike’s hidden talent with the camera, so she can relax a little now. 

She catches Harvey’s eyes as he watches her detangle her tresses. She places the clip on the table, and he picks it up, softly smiling at it when he finally sees what it’s in the shape of, then sticks it in his jacket pocket, saying he’ll keep it there so it doesn’t get lost. Grinning, she winks at him, and he winks back, causing Mike to roll his eyes and make a gagging sound. 

Laughing, she’s reminded once again of the old days, and her heart swells knowing this is how it will be from now on in Seattle. 

They’d wrapped up things at the firm, leaving it tearfully, but lovingly, under the control of Louis, Alex, Samantha, and Katrina. They knew it was in good hands with Louis back as managing partner and Faye securely out of the building for good, but it was still hard to leave, despite them both knowing it was the right thing to do. Their lives had changed; Harvey had come to realize that working such long hours and being stressed out all the time wasn’t worth losing out on moments at home with the people he loves. When he’d confided that to her, she couldn’t have agreed more. Life was too short to waste it stuck in an office from eight in the morning until eleven o’clock that night. 

They wanted to begin their life together, maybe start a family if that was in the cards for them, and just enjoy the time they had left on this Earth. Harvey still wanted to practice law, of course, he was too great at it to give it up. Working at Mike and Rachel’s firm would give him more flexible hours, though, so it was going to be a good change for all of them. 

Donna makes a mental note to call the moving company when they get back from their honeymoon, and she thinks about all the things they need to pack away still. They’ll have a month once they return before they have to be out of his condo and her apartment, so it really shouldn’t even be on her mind right now. But, well, she’s Donna, and a planner at heart, so while the guys rattle on about some case they won years ago, she thinks about their living arrangements.

Officially moving in together now as husband and wife meant they’d have to combine their belongings into one, albeit large, space, decide what furniture from each of their homes to take with them and what items to sell. 

She knew, obviously, that his mom’s painting would be coming with them, and she pulls out her phone from Harvey’s coat pocket to set a reminder for later tonight. She types in for it to remind her to place a note on the painting, letting the movers know it was an extremely valuable and fragile piece of art, and if they didn’t want to be sued by the city's best closer, they’d protect it with their lives. 

Bringing herself back to reality, Donna drapes her arm around Harvey’s shoulders, scooting her chair closer to him. His hand lands on her thigh, giving it a loving pat before moving down to rest on her knee. Her cheek presses against his shoulder as she looks beside him at Mike. 

The young pup makes a quip about his mom and dad being so adorable now that they’re finally married, and she simply grins while Harvey rolls his eyes at their pseudo-son. 

“Come on,” the blonde man scoffs, taking the last swig of his drink. “You were so cute up there, all teary eyed, saying how much you love each other.” He bats his eyelashes at Harvey dramatically, pretending to mock how her husband had been during the ceremony. 

She knows he’s just giving them a hard time, able to laugh now that the serious moment of the day is out of the way. They can relax and just have fun.

“I’m surprised Donna didn’t mention always having to watch  _ Survivor _ now that she’s hitched to you,” he says sarcastically.

Harvey’s eyes trail over to her, and she winks at him, leaning in to press a kiss to his temple, mumbling that she’ll gladly watch his guilty pleasure with him for the rest of their lives, “As long as you keep ordering yellow tomatoes on our pizza.”

He huffs good naturedly, agreeing to the terms of her contract. Mike says something about it being terms of a lawfully binding verbal contract, and the three of them laugh, taking a few moments to enjoy their food.

“I still can’t believe you two were able to pull this off without me even suspecting anything,” she snickers, looking between them. They both look so smug, and she knows she’ll never live this down. 

The boys chuckle breathily, nodding and fist bumping one another, their hands exploding out once their knuckles make contact. 

“It was our last con!” Mike exclaims indignantly, signaling to the waiter for another drink. “We had to keep it under wraps. And keeping it from you was no small feat!”

Harvey chortles as the waiter sets a fresh glass down in front of Mike. He looks over his shoulder to her. Donna slides her eyes over to his, grinning at the mischievous glint in his eye. “Last one, my ass,” she giggles with a disbelieving shake of her head, placing her hand on his arm, tracing her finger up and down his forearm. Her hand finally settles against his on the table top, mindlessly toying with his fingers. “Something tells me you two will be up to no good soon enough in Seattle as well.”

The guys share a look, one that says they know she’s right, and all three laugh, clinking their glasses together. 

Harvey twists his torso, leaning in to press a kiss to her lips. It lingers longer than she was expecting, and she laughs softly into the embrace as her hand comes up to cup his cheek. Pulling back, he stands, extending his hand. “What do you say we go greet those other guests, Mrs. Specter?”

She beams, looking to Mike then back to her husband. She places her hand in his larger one, uttering a delicate, “I don’t mind if we do, Mr. Specter.”

{***********************}

_ Thoughts? _

_ *My take on what could actually be seen in the finale: I think Donna and Harvey will quit/plan to move to Seattle. Their last night at work, they stay late and are the last ones to leave. In my mind the whole show ends with them walking down the hallway and to the elevator. As they wait for the elevator to arrive, they both look out over the offices (Cue a montage of iconic Suits moment while emotional music plays lol). The elevator dings, pulling them from their thoughts. They step in and as the doors close (maybe hold hands? Well,the camera will prob cut in too close so we won’t be able to tell Lmao), we see them look at each other and smile, sad to be leaving but content with their choice. End series. *shrugs*  _

_ I’m probably wayyyy off but… a girl can dream lol!  _

_ Please review :) _


	8. Everything's Changed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harvey's perspective on some of his most life changing encounters with Donna.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by the song The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face. I was listening to the Glee version when I was hit with inspiration, but any version I’ve heard is great! Lol… I hope you enjoy! Please leave a review and let me know what you thought. Thanks!
> 
> {****************************}

**Everything’s Changed:**

_ The first time ever I saw your face  _

_ I thought the sun rose in your eyes  _

_ And the moon and the stars were the gifts you gave  _

_ To the dark and the endless skies _

He meets her in a bar. He’s just won his first big case, one that was sure to make a name for himself. She comes up to him like a cool breeze on a hot summer day. 

“You know usually when someone wins their first trial,” the red haired beauty asserts, stepping up beside him at the bar, “they at least pretend to finish the drink their fellow ADAs bought them.”

He looks at her, turning his body to take her all in. She’s standing there, a confident stance and wrapped in a tight black skirt and plaid top. Her hair is pulled back away from her face, allowing him to see her openness as she looks back at him, leaning an arm against the bar top.

He asks if he knows her, and she effectively tells him no, letting him know that today is his lucky day because it’s the day he gets to meet Donna. 

She’s got a rasp to her voice, a sexy intonation that makes every fiber of his being twist and turn, an uneasiness he’s not used to feeling. Harvey is normally in control of everything, but this woman, in this moment, makes him feel deep down as if his whole world is, somehow, about to be changed. For better or for worse, he’s not honestly sure, but he’s intrigued.

Her eyes sparkle with her reply, and it’s as if the sun itself is rising in them. With his confidence growing the more he assumes she flirts with him, one side of his mouth tips up smugly as he says, “And let me guess, you’re Donna.”

“Oh,” she chuckles with a slight shake of her head, “you have no idea how Donna I am.” Those hazel eyes stare into the depths of his soul, and he can’t remember a time he ever felt like this before. 

He doesn’t know what it is about her–those eyes, that hair, the way she presents herself with an air of confidence most women don’t display around him–but it makes him want to know more about her. Harvey turns his body to face this  _ Donna _ completely, sticking out his hand. “Well, Donna, I’m Harvey–”

She cuts him off, again, something she seems to enjoy doing. “–Harvey Specter. You really think I’d be talking to you if I didn’t know who you were?”

He wants to laugh, but he isn’t sure how she would know who he is. Did she go to Harvard and they met at a party? Surely he’d remember meeting her. Those eyes alone are enough to keep him up at night, trying to figure out the mystery that surrounds her. 

“And how exactly do you know about me?” he inquires, confusion clouding his face. 

Donna’s head tilts to the side, glancing toward the bar as if she’s bored with the conversation. “I know about everyone,” she states, looking back at him. She wags a finger in his direction, making him feel like a school boy getting reprimanded by his teacher. “What I don’t know is why this is the first case you ever took to trial.”

Well, then. She really does know about him. Fuck. 

His brown eyes flick to the bar, picking up his Macallan 18 that’s just been set down, revealing, “Because it was a white collar crime, not some drug dealer on the corner which makes it the kind of case–”

“–That puts your name in the paper.”

Once again, he’s blown away by this woman that stands before him. His brows sink as realization hits him and he inquires, “You’re not just a pretty face, are you?”

She smiles prettily up at him, shaking her head slightly. “No, I’m not.”

The pair talk for a few more minutes, Donna telling him that she wants to work on his desk. His immediate reaction is to say yes, but he remembers Tina is his current secretary. He tells her so, and she gives him a wide smirk. She cocks her head to the side and murmurs a mysterious, “We’ll see,” as she turns, sauntering away and leaving him in a bubble of excited confusion, and he hopes deep down that when he arrives on Monday, she’ll be waiting for him, Tina be damned. 

Several days later, his wishes come true. She’s propped atop her desk, a black coffee with two sugars and a splash of vanilla waiting on him. 

She does her  _ Donna _ thing some more, informing him that she knew he wasn’t going to take that other job, and the rest is history. He can no longer imagine being a lawyer without her by his side, and he can never again drink coffee without a splash of vanilla.

She changes him, just like he thought she would, though in this moment, he has no idea just how different his life will be with her in it.

{*********************************}

_ The first time ever I kissed your mouth  _

_ I felt the earth move in my hand  _

_ Like the trembling heart of a captive bird  _

_ That was there at my command my love _

He arrives at apartment 206, ringing her doorbell and hoping she is still awake at this hour. 

She slowly opens it , a wary look on her face. She’d challenged him earlier, like only she can do, and he knows that he’s finally made a decision.

Before she can say anything, he discloses to her, “I’ve decided what kind of attorney I want to be.”

“I heard,” she states, the hint of a smile playing at the corners of her mouth. “You quit.”

What she doesn’t know is that he also turned over the toxicology report, and the look of amazement on her face when he tells her makes his chest puff out like the biggest cock in the hen house. His head bobs to the side as a playful glint shines in his eyes. “I thought you were supposed to know everything?”

She informs him she wasn’t sticking around to find out what decision he made, and his brows cinch, putting the pieces together that she also quit. 

It occurs to him that they no longer work together, and that desire for her he’s been trying so hard to tamp down all this time comes bubbling up, sending a bolt of excitement through his body and down to his cock. They’ve been dancing around one another at work, him trying his hardest to flirt with her. She’d shut him down just the other night, declaring she didn’t get involved with men she works with. He’d been disappointed, wanting so desperately to know what it feels like to have her beneath him, to have her in the most intimate of ways, but now that they’ve both quit...

“Yeah, that didn’t just occur to you,” she drawls with a look that says he can’t fool her. 

That cheshire cat grin blossoms on his face, loving how she’s always willing to call him on his bullshit. 

She bites her lip, asking if he knows how she knew the realization didn’t just come to him, and he assumes it’s because she knew he would show up there on her doorstep. 

And he’s right. 

She pulls out a can of whipped cream from behind her back, asking huskily, “Why do you think I have this in my hand?”

Stepping inside once invited, Harvey leans his head to the side, eyebrows raised as he silently asks her if this is what she wants. As Donna closes the door, her head cants, just enough to let him know she’s definitely on board with this. 

He leans in, his arms wrapping around her waist as his lips melt against hers. 

It’s a kiss like no other, a connection he wasn’t expecting to feel from kissing his now-former secretary. A tingle rushes through him at the sensation of her lips on his, and the whip cream is momentarily forgotten as he stands there behind her closed door, lips pressing one, two, three more times against hers, savoring each one. It’s as if the earth has moved from underneath his feet, and her lips are the only anchor available to keep him steady. 

Donna’s lips are soft, and plump, and he never wants to pull away. He’s drawn in, and the clarity in his mind terrifies him. 

Harvey pulls back, and she steps away, a sultry grin on her lips. She wiggles the can in her hand once again, and he’s lost to her once more, lost forever, honestly. 

They make their way back to her bedroom after stopping in the kitchen for a carton of strawberries. 

That night as they come together, intertwined fingers and sweat slicked bodies pressing against one another, Harvey has to put all thoughts of how her kisses made him feel away, wanting to focus on bringing her all the pleasure in the world. 

He leaves hours later, fear gripping him as he feels deep down that if he were to let her in, he’d have to give up so much of himself… something that scares him at this point in his life. 

He’s seen how his father’s love for his mom changed him, ruined him, and Harvey doesn’t want that for himself. He never wants to be tied to a woman so fiercely that his life would be turned upside down without her. 

The next day, he calls, asking if she wants to go get breakfast before their days start. She agrees, and he’s glad. After he left in the early hours this morning, he’d laid in his bed thinking of what he wanted to ask her. 

At the diner around the corner from her apartment, they sit, a bit awkwardly, as he informs her of his plans to go back to work for Jessica. He takes a deep breath, asking Donna if she’ll come work for him at the law firm. He just can’t imagine doing it without her by his side. 

Her eyes widen, and her head ducks down momentarily, looking at her hands that are wrapped around the coffee mug. She looks back up at him, an expression on her face that he can’t quite place. Her jaw juts out defiantly as she confirms that she’ll come work for him as long as they never mention last night again. 

He glances down, clearing his throat. It’s as if his mind is buried deep down, screaming at him to not let this happen. But he needs her. He needs Donna in his life, and this is how he handles it. 

He can physically feel his soul rolling its eyes at him, for he knows, deep down, even though he refuses to access those feelings, that never mentioning last night, never being with this woman again, is decidedly  _ not _ what he should do. 

Looking back up to her, he purses his lips, pushing down the logical part of himself that’s clawing its way out as he agrees, saying he’ll never bring it up again. He may be too afraid to love right now, but Harvey needs Donna in his life one way or the other. And this is how it will have to be from now on.

She nods hesitantly, and just like that, she’s his secretary again. 

They move on, her suggesting they need a new ritual, and as he grabs for the waitress’ can opener, he knows this is how it has to be for them to be in each other’s lives. 

{*********************************} 

_ And the first time ever I lay with you  _

_ I felt your heart so close to mine  _

_ And I knew our joy would fill the earth  _

_ And last till the end of time my love _

She opens the door, the force of it blowing her long hair back, and it drives him wild. 

He knows what he wants, it’s what he’s wanted for years but always denied himself. Always lied to himself about. Never wanted to conceded to what was right in front of him.

Donna steps back, a knowing look on her face. Her head angles to the side, as if daring him, and he can tell she doesn’t truly believe he’ll come inside this time. Not after so many years of denying her, and him, of doing just that. Doing what he’s wanted to do so many times. 

But he does.

He rushes toward her, hands capturing both sides of her face as he crashes his lips to hers. She kisses him back, more passion in that kiss than anything he’s ever felt with another woman.

Breaking apart, she stares at him, a silent question in her eyes. 

He swoops back in, taking her lips once more. They start for her bedroom, but he can’t wait any longer. He presses her against the table in her entry way, clothes being stripped and tossed away in a frenzy. They’ve waited so long, too long, to do this again. It’s as if this is the first time all over again. 

His lips bites and sucks a searing path down her neck, to her chest, and the moans spilling from her as she scratches down his back tell him that she’s in this just as much as he is. 

Their hands link together as he looks into those eyes, the ones that have always made him feel at home, made him feel a peace inside of himself even when the storms were ranging and the waters were crashing against him everywhere else. She was always his calming force. 

They finally make it to the bedroom, and he tosses her on the bed, hovering over her as he stares down into her beautiful face. She smirks at him, her hands caressing every inch she could reach. 

She nods, giving him the go ahead as they remove the rest of their clothing. 

It’s heated, but loving. It’s frenzied, but calm. It’s as if everything makes sense being with Donna Paulsen. 

They make love, over and over, that night, limbs tangled together, mouths meeting, and tongues exploring. He can feel her heart beating against his chest, well aware that his beats for her just as strongly. 

The next morning, she begs him to tell her again how he came to realize they were meant to be together, and he obliges. He recounts how he looked around that courtroom and she wasn’t there. She simply smiles, this pleased little thing that makes his heart warm, as she promises, “I’m here now.”

Her hands are caressing soft patterns up his back, across his shoulder, and into his hair, and he hopes to never lose this feeling. It’s the best he’s ever felt, and he never wants to let her go. He wishes more than anything that he’d come to his senses sooner. They could have had this months, hell, years, ago if he hadn’t been so unwilling to admit to his own emotions. 

Telling her this, Donna humphs a small giggle, saying it’s okay, that she was worth the wait. He breathes out a single chuckle, because she’s right. She was more than worth it. 

His hand moves up, tucking a strand of strawberry blonde hair behind her ear as he looks down into those beautiful eyes of hers. She’s always had this uncanny ability to read him, and every time he looks at her, it’s as if she can see into the depth of his soul. 

He just about confesses his feelings as she combs her fingers of one hand through his hair soothingly, while the other rubs softly against his naked back. Before he can get more than her name out, in true Donna fashion, she simply whispers, “I know.”

And she does. He knows she does… she always has. She knows everything, always knowing him better than he ever knew himself at some points. 

He loves this woman, he doesn’t need to date her for months on end before figuring it out. He’s known for years that she was the woman he was meant to be with, he just finally admitted it yesterday. 

“We have to get some sleep,” she claims quietly, and he has to stifle a bit of laughter. It’s very early in the morning, neither one having slept at all. They’ve been up all night chatting, making love, joking around, and just simply enjoying each other’s company. 

They do have to go to work today, though, so he sighs, telling her he knows.

He sinks against her, cuddling into her neck as her hand continues to stroke through his hair. 

Being with Donna, like this, being confident in the fact that tonight wasn’t just a one time thing, but one that will last a lifetime, fills him with a joy he’s never experienced before. 

“Everything’s changed,” he mumbles into her skin. 

And it has, but in the best way possible.

{*********************************}

_ The first time ever I saw your face  _

_ Your face, your face _

He stares down at her chubby little face, those rosebud lips puckering as she slumbers in his arms. 

Bringing a finger up to her cheek, Harvey rubs a soft pattern against her smooth skin. His eyes water; he can’t believe she’s really here. “Happy birthday,” he whispers sweetly, leaning in to press a kiss to her cheek. 

They’d thought for so long that they would never have this, he and Donna. They had struggled to get pregnant at the beginning of their marriage, but it finally happened a year after saying  _ I do _ . Now here he stands, his daughter in his arms as his wife rests in her hospital bed. 

He beams down at Evelyn Lily Specter, the most beautiful little baby Harvey has ever laid eyes upon. His brown eyes fill with tears as he looks upon her face, taking in all of her features. 

She’s gorgeous. So far she’s the perfect mix of the two of them ‒ wisps of strawberry blonde hair, a cute little nose much like Donna’s, and the darkest brown eyes like his. She’s perfect, and he can’t believe they made such an amazing miniature gift. 

“Hey,” he hears, and he looks beyond the baby’s head, smile growing when he sees that Donna is awake again. 

“Hey yourself,” he murmurs, walking over to the bed. 

He sits on the edge while Donna scooches over, making room for him. He tells her not to move; he’s perfectly content right where he is. He looks down at Evelyn again, and Donna reaches a hand up, stroking the baby’s tiny foot. 

“She’s perfect,” she coos softly, head falling back against the pillow as she stares at him and their baby girl. 

Harvey nods, unable to disagree with her on that fact. He looks over his shoulder, smiling at his wife. Taking her hand in his, he brings it to his lips, placing a kiss to her palm before breathing her in. “I love you,” he affirms. “You did amazing today.”

Donna raises the back of the bed so she’s able to be in a more seated position. She grins at him as the bed rises, confirming that she loves him just as much. 

They talk for a few minutes, discussing and laughing at how different life will be now. They’ve been back in New York for three months, Seattle never truly feeling like home, and he can’t wait to bring their baby home. “It’s going to be so weird with a baby crawling around the apartment.”

They were lucky; Harvey had only sub-leased his apartment to a tenant while they were gone, so when they made the decision to move again and found out she was pregnant, he’d been able to help the new resident find another place to live so they could move back. Donna, of course, had insisted on redecorating when they got back to the city, his black and wooden style not being agreeable with her more light and airy vibe. 

He has to admit, despite being six months pregnant when they made the move, she was able to get a lot done at the apartment (with his help, of course). They’d hired painters to redo the walls, and they’d bought all new furniture to liven up their home. Overall, it was beautiful, and as long as she liked it, and felt like it was now  _ both _ of their homes, not just his, then he was overjoyed.

She lets out a breathy giggle, nodding, but saying, “You know she won’t be crawling for a few more months, right?”

He smirks, rolling his eyes playfully over at her and proclaiming that he does know that. 

Donna pecks his shoulder, then leans her cheek against it. Peering over Harvey’s shoulder and down at their daughter, she smiles brightly, causing him to smile just as wide with nothing but love in both of their eyes. 

Harvey’s eyes trail back to Evelyn, and he thinks about the time he met Donna in that bar, and how he thought, whether he knew it then or not, she was the one he would marry. His whole world was changed for the better in that moment. 

She’s definitely changed him, and he loves her for it. He loves this woman so fiercely that he can’t imagine life without her. It’s a fear he once held, but it’s now a reality he never wants to let go of. Over the last almost twenty years, she’s helped him become the best man that he can be, and now, he already knows, their daughter is about to change his life again. And he can’t wait for the transformation to take place. 

{*********************************}

_ Thoughts? Please review. _

  
  



	9. Mistletoe Mishaps

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harvey Specter and Donna Paulsen have been best friends since childhood. Feelings start to grow with each passing year, all thanks to moments under the mistletoe.

_Hey y'all! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! This was one of my entries for the Darvey Advent calendar, and I wanted to add it to my collection of one shots I have going. If you didn't get a chance to read or review it over there, here's a new chance! Lol Please let me know what you think :)_

_Prompts: Office mistletoe, Christmas Party, and Christmas Baking_

{********************************}

**Mistletoe Mishaps:**

_Christmas Eve - 2001_

Donna Paulsen sighs, eyes rolling to the ceiling like only a typical sixteen year old can do. She huffs, arms crossing over her chest as she leans against the living room doorway of her family's home.

It's Christmas Eve, and the Paulsens throw a Christmas Extravaganza each year, this one being no less extravagant than the last. Their neighbors, the Specters, co-host, seeing as they're all best friends (including their kids, their eldest son, Harvey, just happens to be her best friend as well).

She looks around, watching as men and women, dressed in their Christmas attire, mill around, drinks in hand and laughter flowing. There's music wafting across the foyer, filtering from room to room as people talk, eat, drink and all around be merry. It's very festive of them.

Her mom and Mrs. Specter had gone all out this year with the decorations, white lights twining amongst the stair railing, garland and mistletoe hanging around and down from doorways, oversized Christmas trees in every corner. She loved it, she honestly did. Christmas was her second favorite holiday (Halloween being the first, obviously. What better way to have a whole night where she gets to stay in character? It was the actress in her.)

Donna was just… bored. These parties were fun when she and Harvey were young, but now that they're older, they're expected to mingle and interact with the adults more.

"This party blows," Harvey groans, coming to stand beside her.

She smirks, nodding in agreement. She turns to meet her best friend's eyes, jutting her head in the direction of her dad's office. "Wanna hide out in there?"

Harvey responds with an immediate _God, yes_, while grabbing her hand and pulling her down the hall. They laugh, closing the door. Donna settles onto the brown leather sofa, arm resting on the back of it as she looks out the large window, watching the snow that still falls. She takes a deep breath, eyes closing momentarily as Harvey turns on one of his dad's records. Gordon's music fills the air, softly playing. "I love your dad's Christmas album," she states with a content smile, "I always get so excited when my dad pulls it out each year."

He grins, saying it's a good one. "We gotta start bringing stuff to do at these parties," he declares, and she chuckles, knowing he's more bored than she is.

"Well we have the Nintendo," she shrugs, "but Marcus was still using it last time I went in there."

Harvey rolls his eyes at his little brother, walking around her dad's study. His hand trails over the liquor cabinet, and his eyes light up. "You wanna?"

She clicks her tongue in disapproval, saying, "Yeah, right. You know my dad would realize in a _heartbeat_ if a single drop was missing."

Shrugging, Harvey agrees, making a comment about sneaking his own in next year. She just rolls her eyes, knowing he talks a big game. They're only sixteen, and she knows for a fact he's only consumed alcohol one time. It was at their first big high school party, and he'd wanted to fit in with the other baseball players that he was trying to impress. He'd had one drink, only started the second before he felt drunk and she had to help him walk home. They'd spent the night in their tree house that night (it resides in her backyard, but they'd always considered it _theirs_), for Donna knew if Gordon or Lily caught him coming home drunk at fifteen years old, he wouldn't live to see sixteen.

Harvey flops down onto the couch beside her with an exaggerated huff, head falling to the back of the couch.

"Hey," she says, poking his cheek. "You remember that year you got the Talkboy and we went around the party recording everyone?"

Chortling, Harvey sits up, running a hand through his hair. "Oh, man," he laughs, "and then we came in here and played it back, slowing everyone's voices down like Kevin does in Home Alone."

They laugh at the memory, Donna standing to rummage through a random cabinet in the office. She pulls out her pink version of the toy with an _ah-ha!_ "I knew it was still in here."

She goes back to the couch with a chuckle, both listening to the old recordings she made as a kid–ones where she was telling Harvey and Marcus what to do, others where she was practicing lines for a play, some with her mom giving baking instructions, it was all still there. "That's awesome," Harvey snorts, shaking his head in amusement. "I also remember that was the Christmas you got that stupid lifesize Barbie and made me change her outfit like a _million_ times."

Snickering, Donna simply shrugs. "You were a good sport."

He taps her knee, saying, "That's what best friends are for," and giving her a wink.

Smiling, she agrees. Her head tilts toward the closed door, listening for the party goers. "Sounds like things are dying down out there finally." She looks out the window, Harvey's head turning as well, as they watch several couples getting in their cars. The Smiths clamber into their SUV, scarves and jackets being pulled closer as the chilly winter air hits them. Their son, Joey, is Marcus' age, so she's sure Harvey's little brother is now roaming the house looking for them. "Ready to go back out there?"

"I guess," he replies dispassionately, standing from the couch.

She rises as well, making their way from the office.

When they open the door, they're greeted by the sight of Gordon Specter. He raises his glass in the air toward his son with a, "Hey, there you guys are!"

Donna smirks, knowing Mr. Specter always gets the tiniest bit tipsy at the Christmas parties, easy to do when you don't have to drive home, just walk right next door. "Here we are," she mocks playfully, raising her hands up and wiggling her fingers as if he'd just found the prize.

Gordon smiles, that warm one that always makes her feel like a little girl sitting with him on early Saturday mornings, telling him about all her favorite cartoon characters. The older man's eyes trail up above their heads, a goofy grin plastering itself on his face. "Looka' there," he points up, the teenager's eyes following.

Donna swallows thickly, spying the mistletoe that hangs above the doorway. She knows the holiday tradition, knows what's expected of them now, and her heart hammers in her chest. She can feel her heartbeat all the way in her throat, thrumming loudly in her eardrums. She's never kissed a boy before–none except at drama camp when she had to kiss Bobby Maguire for the summer production. But this... this is different.

"Gordon," Clara Paulsen calls as she steps closer to the trio, smiling brightly as she brushes by a colleague that's still at the party, "leave the kids alone."

"Ah," he mumbles, waving a hand to wave her off, "it's just fun and games."

Gordon turns to Clara, both smirking as they agree it _is_ tradition.

Rolling her eyes, Donna looks up at Harvey. He's got this weird look on his face, and she's not sure why. His brown eyes meet hers, and she gives her an apprehensive shrug. "Let's just get this over with," he whispers, leaning closer to her. "You know my dad is a goofball and will never let this go."

Grinning, she nods. She knows he's right. Gordon is always the parent stirring up the fun (and trouble, according to her dad), and he'll stand here all night if it means getting to make fun of the two of them for the next year.

Taking a deep breath, Donna turns toward Harvey. She licks her lips nervously, eyes glancing down to his lips, then back up to his eyes.

He smiles small, licking his own lips in the process. Harvey leans in slowly, hesitantly, pressing his lips to hers. They're soft, and, hmm, well, that feels nice. She presses her lips back to his, and it feels like an eternity that they stay like that, lips pressed to one another's, but in reality she knows it's the briefest of smooches. Harvey pulls away before she can let her mind wander to possibilities of worlds where she gets to kiss him like that, or longer, any time she wants.

She shakes herself from those thoughts, knowing that kiss meant nothing to him, and she only felt like this because it was her first real one.

"Atta boy!" Gordon cackles, walking over the clap both of them on the shoulders.

She feels as if her face is the color of her hair, but she laughs it off, awkwardly, she's sure, but she pretends it didn't affect her. Donna looks up, making sure no one was watching. Her mom is walking away with a smirk on her face, shaking her head, and there's one or two of her dad's friends standing around, laughing. She's not sure if they saw, or even cared, so she thinks she won't die of mortification tonight after all.

Harvey rolls his eyes, shrugging his dad's hand off his shoulder. "Alright, Pops," he laughs, "I think you've had enough of these." He taps the rim of his dad's glass, and Gordon just laughs, adding a, "This is only my third, son. I'm not a lightweight like you."

Harvey's eyes widen, turning to Donna with an obvious accusation on his tongue. He brings up a finger, and she cuts him off with a harshly whispered, "I didn't say anything! That was a year ago!"

"She didn't have to tell us," Gordon guffaws, waving his drink in the air, "You were in the tree house at two in the morning singing _Vogue_. The whole street knew you were drunk." And with a shake of his head, in obvious amusement, Gordon turns to walk away after giving Donna a wink.

Harvey's cheeks redden, and Donna just giggles, thankful that Gordon had gotten the attention off of their kiss. "So much for taking that secret to our graves," she says, laughing harder when Harvey rolls his eyes. "Come on Madonna," she relents, looping her arm through his, "let's go play Nintendo with Marcus."

Giving his arm a squeeze, she drags him into the living room, excited to spend another Christmas with her best friend.

{********************************}

_Christmas Eve - 2005_

"Thanks for helping me clean up," Harvey says softly, not wanting to disturb the quiet in the house. It's nearing midnight now, and his parents have gone to sleep already.

"You're welcome," she smiles, moving to stand next to him as they rinse off the dishes. "It's the least I could do after another amazing Paulsen-Specter Christmas Extravaganza!" she twirls the party title around on her tongue with a flair, mocking all the times their parents have called it that.

He smirks, correcting her with a _You mean Specter-Paulsen_, to which she shakes her head, telling him he's wrong. Rolling his eyes with a grin, he gives in, saying Paulsen-Specter sounds better anyway. He doesn't play into the thoughts that it sounds like a good forever last name for her, too, absolutely not. He shoves those deep seeded thoughts down into the depths of his soul, along with the ones that still think about that kiss from four years ago when they were still teenagers living at home.

They're in college now, him at Harvard and her off away at Yale for their theatre department. Being home for the holidays is nice, he loves being able to see Donna. He finds he misses being able to just walk across the little patch of grass separating their houses and walk in like he's family, running upstairs to jump on her bed and mess up her perfectly made covers. He smirks at the memory, bumping his hip against hers as they finish rinsing the plates and setting them in the dishwasher.

"And besides," she adds, bringing his thoughts back to reality, "our moms were exhausted from setting up the party and hosting all night."

He nods as she jests, "And, _yeah right,_ like our dad's would ever be caught dead washing the dishes."

Snorting, he agrees. "Pretty sure your dad passed out in the recliner hours before the party ended," he laughs, saying Clara had to practically drag him across to their house an hour ago.

She smiles to herself, and he finds he can't take his eyes off of her for some reason. Nothing has changed, they've been cleaning up from the parties for years, they've been doing this whole let's-spend-the-entire-night-together routine on every visit they make home from their respective colleges. But for some reason, tonight, he doesn't want the night to end at all.

"And hey," he adds, swatting the dish towel at her shoulder as he steps away from the sink, "we made it through a whole party without a drop of alcohol. That's gotta be a new record since we went off to school."

"Speak for yourself," she giggles, pulling a miniature flask from her pocket and waving it in his direction with a wink.

Harvey's eyes go wide, reaching for the silver container. "No fair!" he laughs, twisting the cap off and taking a swig.

Donna laughs, walking over to the kitchen island and planting herself on a bar stool. She shrugs, saying it made this year's soiree more fun than the last one. With a chuckle, he grabs his dad's bottle of Macallan and two glasses, joining her at the island. Her eyes widen, repeating what she says every time Harvey sneaks some of Gordon's good stuff. "You can't. He'll notice."

"Relax," he snickers. "We're almost twenty-one, he won't care."

With a roll of her eyes, she wraps her hand around one of the glasses, signaling with her chin for him to pour the drinks.

They sit together, talking about school and catching up on all the things they've missed out on since they saw each other over Thanksgiving break. Their glasses empty, Harvey refilling them as they sip them more slowly, savoring the flavor and wasting the hour away together.

"I'm sorry you and Scottie broke up," she relents suddenly, taking another sip of the amber liquid.

He shrugs, not all too bothered by the break up. "Eh," he says nonchalantly, "it was a few weeks ago. One less Christmas present to buy."

She rolls her eyes, taking a deep inhale before slowly releasing it. The room goes quiet, Harvey trying to muster enough acting ability he's learned from her over the years to repeat the sentiment. "And, uh," he stammers, taking a sip of his drink. "I'm sorry about Thomas."

She nods, lips twisting, and fuck, he knew she was still upset over their breakup; he shouldn't have brought it up. Donna shrugs, trying to seem nonplussed about it. "He, um," her hands fiddle around the rim of her glass, "you know, he graduated back in May, so he's been trying to get his business started. He was just too busy for a relationship right now."

Harvey nods, recalling a conversation he had with the guy over Thanksgiving break about his furniture and how he had dreams of expanding it to be nationwide one day.

"And besides," she sighs, sweeping a strand of her red hair behind her ear. He has the sudden urge to do it for her, but again, he pushes that feeling away. "He, uh, he couldn't quite understand…" she trails off, taking another sip and glancing toward the microwave. Her hazel eyes flutter back to meet his brown ones, a look of uncertainty crossing her features. "He didn't really like our relationship, yours and mine that is, when he was here on Thanksgiving. Said we were too… I don't know." She shrugs again, shaking her head in annoyance.

His head tilts, curious as to what her former boyfriend thought. He encourages her to go on, listening as she says, "I tried to explain that we've been neighbors and best friends since we were _two_, but he didn't understand." Her eyes mist over, but she blinks it away before he can call attention to it. "Practically wanted me to like… choose between you and him or something," she scoffs, as if making that choice was the most ridiculous thing in the world.

He feels his chest puff up, but tries to contain it, when he realizes she's implying she would choose him over a boyfriend. And good, that's what... best friends… are for. The air grows thick between them, and he leans a little closer, reaching for the bottle of scotch again, and he watches as her eyes widen slightly, inhaling a deep breath as her lips part almost noticeably. His breathing practically matches hers, exhaling slowly while he tops off their glasses once more.

"Anyway," she states, clearing her throat and popping the bubble around them, a tipsy little giggle leaving her mouth. She pulls her hair to one side, twirling it around her fingers as she smiles demurely to herself, giving him a nice view of her tantalizing neck. And no… not tantalizing, just… a neck. Donna's neck. "We should bake cookies!" she squeals all of a sudden.

He laughs, reminding her it's almost one in the morning.

"So?! We can surprise your mom with them tomorrow."

Chuckling, he agrees, and the madness ensues. She gets the flour, loudly shushing him when he bends down to reach for the cookie sheets, pans clattering together. "You're gonna wake up your parents!" she admonishes in a loud whisper.

He shakes his head, thinking to himself that she's a little past tipsy now, but honestly, he's feeling just as loose limbed as she is.

She directs him, telling him to bring the butter and milk over to her at the island while she grabs the sugar. They combine the ingredients, Donna peering down precariously close to the bowl as she mixes the items, making sure all the clumps are out. She adds a pinch of salt, slurring an explanation that it brings out the sweetness. He simply shrugs, not one to question the great Donna Paulsen's judgement.

While watching her, he notices she has flour smeared on her cheek, and he laughs, swiping it off with his finger. She looks up then down at his finger and giggles. Reaching into the bowl, she runs her finger across the top of it where only the residual flour remains, getting enough on her finger tip to bop his nose, leaving behind the white substance.

His mouth falls open as she laughs, then shushes them, stifling another bout of laughter behind her hand. Harvey dips a finger into the bowl, bringing out a dough covered finger tip. "Don't you dare!" she squeals, taking a step back from him. He chases her as she runs around the island, playing a drunken version of tag. He finally captures her, arm winding around her waist and pulling her back against him. She gasps, then settles into his embrace, both laughing as he swipes the dough onto her cheek. "Harvey!" she yelps, giggling as she steps away. She clears her throat, trying to be serious. "You're going to wake your mother up, and then we're going to be in big trouble, Mister."

He smirks, telling her she's right.

Once all the dough is finally ready, they roll it out onto parchment paper, and Harvey stumbles over to a cabinet, reaching up to the top shelf to grab a gallon sized Ziploc bag that his mom has stored the cutters in his whole life. "Cookie cutters!" he exclaims, earning a loud _Shhhhhhh_ from his partner in crime.

She chortles, though, reaching for the bag. "Oh my gosh!" she yells, clamping a hand over her mouth and eyes widening as she looks around dramatically, making sure she didn't wake anyone up. "They're Christmas shapes!"

He chuckles, nodding as he pulls out the mistletoe, reindeer, and Christmas tree cutters, placing them on the counter beside her. "These were my favorite ones growing up."

Donna _aww_'s at that, batting her eyelashes in his direction. He shakes his head, puffing out a laugh at how silly she's being. He's only seen her drunk a handful of times, and he makes a mental note to visit her more often at school because he has a feeling this isn't the first time she's felt this good, especially since she owns a flask and thought to bring it to the party. "Just how often do you guys drink up there at Yale?" he quips, eyebrow raising in mock-suspicion.

Scoffing, she looks at him with a pointed look. "We're theatre majors, Harvey, not nuns." He laughs, nodding as she adds, "And probably not as much as all you law majors."

He agrees with a snort, knowing his fellow future lawyers party harder than anyone he's ever seen, especially after exams. He tells her so, informing Donna he'll take her to his favorite bar the next time she comes to visit.

With a nod, she agrees, saying, "And I'll show you our favorite pub when you come visit _me_."

Shaking his head with a grin, he cuts some more cookies out of the dough, laying them on the baking sheet.

While the cookies bake, Donna whips up a batch of icing, Harvey watching in fascination. He's poured them each a glass of water, knowing they need to sober up some if they don't want to be dead tomorrow on Christmas day with their families. Marcus will be home from school in the morning, and he knows his little brother will be excited to see both of them, so they need to be ready.

She hums a little diddy to herself, one that sounds a bit like a mixture between _Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindee_r and _Up on the Housetop_. He smiles, eyes hooded with exhaustion or just contentment, he isn't quite sure, as he listens and watches her work.

"I'm glad we still get to see each other," he finds himself saying sincerely, head propped against his palm as his elbow rests on the counter top.

Donna smiles over at him, and his stomach does a weird little flip flop that he's not used to feeling around her. "Me, too," she admits softly, smiling again before focusing on coloring the two bowls of icing–one red, one green.

Harvey leans in, dipping a finger into one of the bowls. She smacks the back of his hand, reprimanding him and telling him he's not allowed to stick that finger back in the bowl. Harvey pops the finger into his mouth, eyebrows twitching up as he sucks the icing off of his finger. Donna rolls her eyes, but he notices that as she looks back toward the cookies, there's a slight pink tinge to her cheeks and she bites down on her bottom lip. Huh. Maybe it's the alcohol they've been drinking for the past few hours, but he also doesn't think he imagined that look.

The cookies finish, and they spend the next ten minutes covering them in the desired amount of icing before breaking them in half, clinking them together like champagne glasses and scarfing them down. Donna grabs the milk back out from the fridge, stuffing another piece of cookie in her mouth. "Why haven't we made cookies at one in the morning before now?" she asks incredulously, bringing the half-gallon jug to the island. "They taste so much better like this!"

Chortling, Harvey tells her he thinks the alcohol has something to do with that. They've sobered up somewhat, but are still slowly sipping on a fourth drink each as they munch on the dessert. She giggles, picking up another cookie. "Look!" she exclaims, holding the cookie above her head. "It's mistletoe!" She giggles, giving it a little shake and making what seems to be a jingle of a bell sound with her mouth.

With his mind half fogged, but never feeling clearer, Harvey leans in suddenly, pecking his lips to hers while she holds the mistletoe cookie above her head still. Her lips melt into his, her body falling closer to his momentarily. Pulling back in an instant, he hears a light gasp falling from her lips. "Harvey," she says, almost sounding shocked, surprised, confused... he isn't sure what she's feeling.

"It was mistletoe!" he defends his actions with a laugh, and thank god, she smiles, giggling along with him.

"Kind of like when we were sixteen," she adds, rolling her eyes and taking another bite of cookie.

Harvey laughs an _Oh yeah!_ before saying, "God, my dad was so drunk that year."

They laugh at the memory, Donna's face growing serious as she sips her milk, clearly giving up on the alcohol for tonight. "You know, that was actually my first kiss."

His head bobs to the side, eyebrows furrowing. "But what about–"

"–Bobby Maguire at sixth grade drama camp doesn't count," she deadpans with a wry smile. "And besides, I'm pretty sure his lips never even touched mine," she laughs, "he was too nervous to be that close to a girl."

Guffawing, Harvey holds a hand to his stomach, leaning back on the bar stool as he laughs at the image. He'd gone to that play, making his parents ride with the Paulsens a good two hours away to her camp just to see her very first production. He'd cringed back then at the "kiss", still thinking it was kind of gross to kiss girls. "Wonder if he ever got over that fear?" he muses.

"Pretty sure he's gay now," she announces, both chuckling as their eyes connect. "No, but seriously," Donna says, growing somber again. "Having my best friend as my first kiss was… nice. Special."

He smiles softly, sliding his chair an inch closer to hers. The air thickens around them like earlier, there's a charged energy he's never felt before, and he wonders if she wants to kiss him as desperately as he wants to press his lips to hers, reliving that first kiss of hers all over again.

Donna leans in, eyes growing heavy with the exhaustion she must be feeling after all the work, mingling with people tonight, and alcohol. She giggles as her head gets closer, lips parting.

His eyes flicker closed, and just as suddenly, the lights flick on, making them both jump apart. Donna snickers drunkenly, bringing a broken piece of cookie up to her lips, stuffing it in and glancing over toward the doorway. "You know, you might would've been quieter if you hadn't drank half your dad's scotch."

He at least has the sense in him still to look sheepish, but starts smirking when he hears Donna's tipsy laughter.

"Sorry, Lily," she says half-heartedly around a bite of sugar cookie.

She giggles again, but her eyes grow wide, looking to Harvey for help as his mom stands in the doorway wrapped in her Christmas robe and rollers in her hair, arms crossed over her chest. He smirks, shrugging his apology in his mom's direction as he stands from the stool. Reaching out, he takes Donna's hand, helping her stand.

She brushes off the crumbs from her lap, giggling as she stacks two more cookies in her hand, apologizing again. "I'll just… get going," she laughs, jutting her head toward the backdoor of his kitchen and stumbling in his direction, placing a kiss to his cheek.

Pulling back, their eyes meet, an unspoken something going on between them before she waves a sloppy goodbye to the older woman. Donna throws her jacket on, messily wrapping the scarf around her neck while trying to balance the two cookies in her hand. She softly laughs at herself, seemingly in her own world as Harvey stands there, looking at his mom and feeling like a teenager caught with his pants pulled down surrounded by the dirty bowls, flour dusted across the counter top and their faces (and shirts), and a pile of cookies half decorated or bitten into.

"Goodnight, Donna," Lily finally drawls, giving her a soft smile before hard eyes fall back to him. Donna giggles again, picking up her purse and waving a silent goodnight as she opens the door and stumbles her way across the driveway to her own. He and Lily both watch as she unlocks her own front door, and he's glad to know she made it home safely.

"You know," his mom says, stepping further into the kitchen. She runs her hand along the counter, a trail of flour meeting her finger. She gives him a look that says _You'll be cleaning this up, Young Man_, and he nods, knowing he already intended on cleaning up their mess, "You could always just tell her instead of getting her drunk on scotch and cookies while you try to kiss her."

"Mom," he groans in embarrassment, hand flying up to cover his face. He looks between his fingers, rolling his eyes when he sees a smug smirk playing at the corners of her lips.

His hand falls, huffing as he ignores her comment, not in the right mindset to talk about this. He knows he feels _something_ but can't quite put a name to it. He's never liked any of Donna's boyfriends–Mark was too sleazy their senior year of high school; Harvey always felt like he was just trying to get into her pants but didn't actually care for her. There was Stephen their freshman year of college, but thankfully that didn't last long. She'd briefly dated his friend Tanner the summer before their sophomore year of college, and he'd been bothered by that, felt like she was spending all her free time with him instead of enjoying the summer with Harvey like they always did. Was it all just jealousy? He isn't sure; they bugged him, sure, but that's just because they took Donna's attention away from him, and he wanted his best friend all to himself. Yeah, that had to be what it was.

"I'll get this all cleaned up before I go to bed," he announces, not acknowledging his mom's comment.

She hums with a knowing glance and a smile, letting him get away with it this time. "You better. I don't want a spot of flour or icing on a single counter by time I wake up in a few hours."

He exhales, a short chuckle coming through his nose, as he scoops the remaining cookies into a Tupperware container and washes off the baking sheet. "Goodnight, Mom," he moans, rolling his eyes for good measure.

She makes her way out of the kitchen with a chuckle that reverberates in his eardrums. He knows there's more to Lily's laughter than simply being amused at the cookies, but he can't think about that right now. He's annoyed, and frustrated, and just needs time to think. Needs to figure out what all these new feelings inside of him could mean.

Harvey climbs into bed half an hour later, unable to sleep as he contemplates everything that's happened tonight. He's confused, but one thing is clear: the brief kiss he shared with Donna was better than anything he's ever had with any other girl.

{********************************}

_Christmas Eve - 2012_

Another Christmas Eve, and this time Donna is not spending it back home at the annual Paulsen-Specter Christmas Extravaganza. It's their first year not attending, and the fact that Harvey is spending Christmas Eve with her (and all of their co-workers) makes her feel better.

"Merry Christmas," he mumbles into her ear, making the hair on the back of her neck stand on end.

She bites her lip, chin tucking down as she pushes her hair behind her ear. She can feel her cheeks heat, but she responds anyway, "Merry Christmas, Harvey."

He places a kiss to her cheek, handing her the drink he'd just gone to retrieve for her. He gives his hips a little jiggle, bumping them against hers as the band plays _Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree_.

Laughing, she dances with him for a moment, then slows to take a sip of her drink. She looks around, admiring the firm's decorations.

Harvey had moved to New York after graduating from Harvard three years ago, working his way from the lowest level entry job possible at Gordon Schmidt and Van Dyke. Donna had joined him five months later after trying her luck in Los Angeles post-graduation a few years back, moving into an apartment six blocks from his. She was struggling to find acting gigs, but her best friend had luckily been in need of a secretary. He fully understood, however, that she would step out on him for auditions whenever she could. It was a great arrangement, and three years in, she couldn't have asked for a better job. She's the best damn secretary for the best damn closer this city has ever seen. They're an unstoppable duo, and everyone in the firm was jealous of him simply for having her as his Girl Friday.

It was exciting, both being in the big city together like real adults, out on their own in the world. He'd helped her navigate around town when she first got there, both of them finding new restaurants and even a secret little park where they could get away from time to time. They'd spend Saturdays there having picnics and avoiding work most weekends. It was great, life was good in The Big Apple.

They'd both traveled home together the last four years, wanting to spend the holiday with their families, but now that Harvey was making a name for himself in the firm, he'd been invited to the Christmas party the partners held each season. He'd asked Donna to come along as his date before they'd catch the train tomorrow morning to go home for Christmas, spending the next few days tucked away in their parents' homes drinking hot cocoa by the fire and opening gifts all together.

"Hey," he says, interrupting her thoughts. "You okay?"

Donna smiles, giving him a nod. "Yeah," she chuckles, "totally weird not being at the Christmas Extravaganza, though, right?"

Smirking, Harvey agrees. They'd stayed up late last night, one of their conversations leading to confessions on both of their parts that they'd miss the party more than they were willing to admit. "This one isn't so bad, though, is it?"

She looks around again, watching as Louis Litt tries to weasel his way into conversations being held by the higher ups, laughing at all the correct moments, but all around weirding everyone out. She rolls her eyes, elbowing Harvey in the ribs as she tilts her chin in the other lawyer's direction.

Harvey scoffs, a roll of his eyes matching hers. She trails her eyes across to the giant Christmas tree adorned in white lights and multi-colored ornaments, admiring Jessica Pearson's gorgeous red dress as she stands beside the giant Fir. Jessica has been a big asset to Harvey over the last few years, and as the woman catches Donna's gaze, she lifts her champagne glass in her direction, sending her a silent greeting.

Donna smiles over at the older woman, taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly as she settles into the party's atmosphere. It's not so bad. "It's not the Paulsen-Specter Christmas Extravaganza," she jests with a smile, looking back to Harvey. "But it's not terrible."

She takes another sip, hiding her smirk as Harvey corrects, like always, "The Specter-Paulsen Christmas Extravaganza, yes."

Waving him off, her eyes flicker back to Jessica. She's speaking with Robert Zane, another lawyer in the firm. "I hear he's going to make partner before Jessica one day soon," Harvey spills, leaning closer to her ear so no one else can hear.

Donna's head tilts to the side, examining the pair from across the room. "Nah," she breathes, looking over her shoulder at him. "Robert's going to go to another law firm before that happens."

She turns in time to see Harvey taking a step back, eyes wide and confused as he says, "And how do you know that?"

Looking at him like he's an idiot for even questioning her, she declares matter-of-factly, "I'm Donna."

Harvey shakes his head with a smirk, and takes her hand, signaling for her to place her drink down next to his as he leads her onto the dance floor. _I'll Be Home for Christmas_ starts to play as she wraps her hand in his, the other arm resting around his neck. They sway to the music, her eyes meeting his.

There's this unspoken… something… that's been between them ever since that Christmas he kissed her under the cookie mistletoe. Sure, they'd been drunk, but the energy between them has been more flirtatious, more… weighted ever since then. She'd dated several guys over the last seven years since that night, none of which Harvey liked (and he even admitted that they bothered him), but she can't read too much into that. He'd dated countless amounts of women, and Donna had never been a fan of any of them either.

She'd made a rule when they first started working together, though, to not date people she worked with. She made it more to avoid the advances of people like Nicholas Burton and Franklin Carter but when she'd told Harvey her rule, he'd seemed disappointed. But, again, she won't read too much into that.

She has come to realize over time that she's in love with him, yearns to be with him in every way possible, not just as his best friend. But, her rule. Her stupid, stupid rule. She was never one to go back on her word, but the more time that passes, the more she thinks just this once, a rule was meant to be broken. If only he felt the same way...

Laying her head against his chest, she listens as his heart beats in sync with hers. He spins them around, and she's impressed. He's a great dancer, whether he wants to admit it or not. "Those dance classes Lily dragged you to summer after second grade seem to have paid off even after all this time."

"Shut up," he chuckles, stepping back to twirl her around.

Her emerald green dress billows out around her, garnering the attention of people around them. She smiles as she tucks herself back into his chest, always loving being the center of attention, even if just for a moment.

The song comes to a close, and Harvey takes her hand, leading her off the dance floor as they discuss what they got their parents for Christmas. "Shit," she snaps her fingers, looking up to him. "That reminds me, I need to wrap my dad's gift tonight when I get home."

Harvey looks at her as if she's grown a second head, leading her over to a more secluded section of the party. "You haven't finished wrapping yet?" he asks, eyes dramatically wide. "I thought you normally finish that before Thanksgiving."

"Ha, ha," she replies dryly, shaking her head at him. "I bought it last minute. I was out last weekend, I thought I told you this, and I saw the steak knives he's been searching for. He's gonna die!"

Harvey nods, saying that he remembers now. He props his shoulder against a doorway, and she leans against the other side of it, hips centimeters apart as they both watch party goers pass by, Donna smiling at her fellow secretaries that she sees.

"You alright?" she asks after a moment. He's seemed a bit off today, and now standing here, him not saying anything, he looks nervous.

Harvey nods, murmuring _Mmhmm_ before looking up. She watches as he rubs his lips together nervously, then follows his gaze up to the mistletoe hanging above the doorway he'd stood them in.

Her stomach drops, wanting nothing more than to kiss him. It's been so long since she had, but Donna, being Donna, just rolls her eyes, memories of being sixteen and a drunk Gordon egging them on run through her mind, so she chuckles, bringing it up again.

Harvey grins, shaking his head as his brown eyes meet hers in a serious gaze. "This isn't my dad making us," he says, tone deeper than she remembers it ever being. "And we aren't sixteen anymore."

No, they're over a decade older than that now, yet her stomach still flips over itself at his honeyed tone. He's speaking softly, almost as if he only wants her to hear his words. Harvey turns to look at her, Donna giving him a questioning look.

He reaches up, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear before cupping her cheek. "This also isn't a mistletoe cookie drunkenly baked at one AM." She smirks, shaking her head at the memory.

Harvey shrugs a shoulder up, glancing back up to the mistletoe with a Cheshire cat smile tugging at his lips. "I figured this," his eyes bounce up to the sprig again, "would be the perfect way to tell you."

"Tell me what?" she asks breathlessly, brows furrowing. Without thought, she steps closer, his hand still warm against her cheek.

Harvey's eyes go soft, closing as he leans in and presses his lips against hers. She sighs into their kiss, eyes drifting shut and body leaning even closer to his as a tiny moan escapes from the back of her throat. The world around them disappears as her hands wind around his neck, one slowly landing at the back of his neck, and her fingers weave into his hair, pulling him closer.

His lips feel amazing on hers, better than when they were sixteen, or twenty, or any other time she may have felt his lips against her skin (usually, more than anything else, just pressed against her cheek, except that one time when they were eighteen...). This, though, this is… everything. She feels as if he's pouring his whole self into her, and she never wants this moment to end.

Donna deepens the kiss, angling her head to the side as she runs her tongue along the seam of his lips. He parts, granting her entrance for just a moment, groaning at the contact, before he pulls back, smiling brighter than she's ever seen. "To tell you I love you."

"Wh-what?" she stammers, eyes still half closed, dazed from that amazing kiss. She reaches up, running a finger along her lips, not wanting the feel of him to ever leave her again. They've been nothing but a pair of idiots for the last few years, and she feels dizzy with this new revelation.

"I love you, Donna Roberta Paulsen." She rolls her eyes at the use of her full name, but a warm smile grows as she realizes what he's (finally) admitting to her. "I love you." He chuckles, eyes growing the tiniest bit wet, "You're my best friend, and I think I've always known how I felt, I just couldn't access it."

She snickers around a lump in her throat, making a joke about his multitude of girlfriends probably getting in the way of that. He gives her a deadpan look, one that clearly reads _Shut up and let me say these sweet things_, so she relents, face melting back into a loving smile as she lets his words wrap her up like a warm blanket.

"I love the way you call me on all my bullshit, I love how you get me. You've always understood me more than anyone else, and better than anyone else. You are… amazing," he claims, thumb caressing her cheekbone. "And I don't think I've told you that enough over our lifetime."

She shakes her head, lifting a shoulder, then letting it fall as she says around a smirk, "One can never hear it too many times."

He grins, leaning in to kiss her again, this one shorter than the first, and not as passionate, but no less loving. He's a great kisser, she decides, pulling him in for another when he goes to step away.

Stepping back, Donna's eyes flush with tears. Harvey's thumb comes up, wiping one away as he asks her what's wrong. "Nothing," she sniffles, hand landing on the pocket square of his tux. She taps her fingers over his heart, hazel eyes roaming up to meet his. He's looking at her as if she's the most important thing in the world, and maybe he always looked at her that way, she isn't sure, but now she's aware of it. And now she never wants him to look at her any other way. "I just…" she sighs, smiling wetly at him. "I love you, too, Harvey Reginald Specter."

Harvey beams, his eyes flushing with tears and those lines around his eyes crinkling in the way she loves so much as he places another soft kiss to her lips underneath that office mistletoe.

_All I Want for Christmas is You_ begins to play as they break apart, and Donna looks around, seeing that no one had, thankfully, noticed their moment. Or if they had, they had the good sense not to interrupt.

"What do you say we get out of here, hm?" he asks, taking her hand in his. Her fingers link with his, and she smiles, realizing they fit together perfectly, like two pieces of a puzzle.

It's a gesture no different from every other time they've held hands over the last two decades, but this, tonight, feels right. Nodding, she squeezes his hand, bringing it closer to her body as he leads them to the elevators. They wave goodbye to Jessica, who has an all too knowing smirk plastered on her face, and they're off into the night.

Off to start this new phase of life together… because it's not starting a life when you're with the same person that's been by your side your entire existence, cheering you on through tough times, celebrating with you in the best of times, and everything in between. They may have missed their family's annual Christmas Extravaganza at home, but Donna thinks this may just be the best Christmas yet.

{*****************************}

_I hope y'all enjoyed this one! I had a lot of fun writing it. If you know me, you know I am a sucker for lifelong friends to lovers… it's one of my favorite tropes lol. Please leave a review and let me know your thoughts! Thanks! :)_


	10. Christmas Confrontation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harvey and Donna have an unexpected encounter with someone while out Christmas shopping with their daughter.

_Thanks to everyone who already reviewed this on the advent page! If you haven't read it yet, enjoy! Please leave a review and let me know what you think :)_

_Prompt: Darvey and kid bumping into Paula while Christmas shopping._

{*****************************}

**Christmas Confrontation:**

"I'll be over here," he mumbles, stepping away from Donna as she waves her acknowledgment, her nose stuck in a bin of stocking stuffers that are on sale.

He chuckles to himself, head tilting back as he glances at the giant snowflakes hanging from FAO Shwartz's ceilings. He watches as kids run down the spiral staircase, giggling as they sword fight with the foam toys. He has a thought in the back of his mind, wondering where their parents are, but he shrugs, knowing not everyone is as watchful as he and Donna are.

He steps to the side of the kids, making his way to the back of the bottom floor where less people are located. He admires the Christmas lights wrapped around the stair's railings and the multi-colored ones built into the shape of trees and nutcrackers adorning the large windows.

Harvey looks back to the toys, picking up a random bouncy ball, then places it back, smiling as he imagines his little girl on Christmas morning digging through her stocking and gifts from Santa. He's always loved Christmas, especially ever since their baby was born, but the older she gets, the more enjoyable the holiday seems to be. Her elated peals of laughter, the way she'll climb into his lap begging to brush a doll's hair with him or just snuggle by the fire, it all makes his insides feel that much more gooey for his baby girl than he already does the other 364 days of the year.

They're so lucky to have her; he never thought being a dad was in the cards for him, but a year after they wed, Donna surprised him with a pregnancy test and a baby name book, crying and saying they were going to have one of their own. It's the happiest he'd ever been, and every day since Evelyn was born has been one amazing, tiring, loving experience that's brought him and Donna closer than he ever imagined.

Looking across the way, just a few feet from him, he watches Donna pointing something out to Evie, a small smile on both of their lips. His little girl bounces on her heels, clapping her hands together excitedly as her mother talks to her about the toys they are looking at. Their strawberry blonde locks match one another's, as do their noses and sassy personalities, and he wouldn't change a thing about either one of his girls.

He takes a deep breath when he hears a crowd at the front of the store step through the door, glad his little corner of the store appears to not house the popular items, giving him a bit of peace amongst all the craziness that is Christmas shopping in New York City. He thumbs through the assortment of plastic bins, all holding small toys–LOL dolls, Hot Wheels, Slinkies, and other desirable knicknacks to pile into stockings.

Looking around his side of the store, his steps falter, eyes landing on a blonde woman walking down the same side of the store as him. She's still wrapped in her peacoat and scarf as she browses the toys.

Shit. He knew he hadn't wanted to come out in the cold today, braving all the hundreds of holiday shoppers trying to snag last minute gifts. Donna, however, had been insistent, saying they needed to find the latest Hatchimal for Evie. She'd been begging for it for months now, using her oddly-developed skills of persuasion to convince her parents that she _had_ to have it.

But now, staring at the blonde woman he once knew so intimately across the aisle from him, he regrets coming. He should've just stayed at the office, finishing paperwork like he'd tried to convince his wife he needed to do this morning. Or stayed home by the fire, working on his laptop and drinking the eggnog Donna prepared two nights ago. He knows he's been acting like a Scrooge all morning, but he'd rather be away from people bustling about, bumping into one another, and generally unaware of others around them. And now, seeing her, just confirms his gut feeling.

"Harvey," she chirps loudly, sounding surprised, a bright smile growing across her thin lips. She makes her way across the aisle to stand in front of him, leaning in to place a kiss to both of his cheeks.

"Paula," he greets, somewhat tightly, taking a step backward. There may be no bad blood between them, but seeing an ex is never much fun, and he knows the struggles he faced while trying to appease her and keep his best friend in his life at the same time so many years ago. After everything that's happened in their lives, truthfully, his tryst with the doctor seems like a lifetime ago.

"How have you been?" she inquires, her British accent ringing in his ears, drawing up memories from the past.

Harvey nods, a pleasant smile growing as he goes to answer. "I've been really ama–"

"–Daddy!" he hears squealed from behind him, a mop of light red hair whizzing around him as she giggles in delight. Evie wraps her one arm around Harvey's leg, spinning around him, then letting go, her little body taking a larger step back than she was apparently prepared for, because she tumbles, little chocolate eyes growing wide as she trips over her foot. She stumbles backward for a split second, body crashing into Paula's.

The woman scoffs, "Oh," as she is forced to move back an inch or so, eyes flashing up to Harvey's in surprise.

Harvey reaches out to catch her, seeing as Paula clearly wasn't going to, wanting to make sure his little girl doesn't fall. He takes her hand in his, tugging her slightly to stand up straight.

"Sorry, ma'am," Evie murmurs, biting her lip nervously and wringing her hands together.

"Evelyn Lily," Harvey goes to correct, "you have to be careful." Before he can say more, though, his daughter looks up at him, big puppy dog eyes starting to water.

He chuckles as he looks over his daughter, then sends Paula an apologetic look. He pulls Evie over to stand with him, checking that she's okay and assuring her it was, "just an accident."

His daughter simply laughs, shrugging off the moment of worry but nodding, confirming that she's fine. He smiles down at his wife's mini-me, reaching out to pick her up, swinging her onto his hip. Placing a smacking kiss to her pudgy little cheek, he looks back to his ex-girlfriend. "Sorry about that."

She waves it off, trying to seem nonchalant about the whole thing as she adjusts the scarf around her neck. "You… you have a daughter," she states, unnecessarily, sounding a bit stunned.

Beaming, Harvey confirms, bouncing the four year old bundle of energy on his hip, making her giggle and bury her nose into his neck. Her thumb goes into her mouth, indicating to Harvey that she's slowly fading, nap time approaching quickly. Good, he thinks, that means they can leave this store sooner than Donna is probably planning and get home where it's warm and crowd-free.

"That's wonderful," Paula stammers, looking to the little girl, eyes scanning over her hair, then her face. "I, uh, I heard you had moved to Seattle."

He gives her a questioning look, wondering how she would even know that.

She chuckles slightly, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. It's a nervous habit of hers, he remembers that much. "I had some legal troubles a few years ago," she explains. "I called the firm, and Alex told me you lived in Seattle, so he took my case."

"Ah," Harvey sighs, nodding. "Yeah, we moved out there for a bit to help Mike and Rachel with their clinic," he recounts with a fond little smile gracing his lips. "But once we found out about this one," he says, voice going soft as velvet as he looks down to his little girl, tickling her side, "we realized we missed New York and wanted to come back home before she was born."

"Daddy!" Evie shrieks at the tickling, squirming in his arms. Her head tucks into the crook of Harvey's neck, thumb planting itself right back into her mouth as she smiles around the appendage, looking between her father and the blonde lady. A giant yawn escapes her, and he eyes her suspiciously. Evie must know what he's going to say about needing a nap because she pops her head back up, heavy eyes trying to stay alert as the adults converse.

Paula smiles at the scene in front of her, almost awkwardly, if Harvey remembers her gestures correctly. "We?" she asks, shifting from one foot to the other, her eyes roaming down to glance at his silver wedding band resting on his finger.

He goes to answer when he feels Donna's hand wrap around his free arm, her words floating into their space and popping the bubble of tension that had been growing, shattering it to smithereens. "... and look at that giant teddy bear! It's almost as tall as our ceilings at home!" she exclaims, still looking behind her at the toy display.

Donna's head finally turns to meet his gaze, then down to Evie with an excited look, before looking across at whom he was speaking with. "Oh, Paula," she states, eyes widening so briefly he almost doesn't see it, "hi." She smiles, a bit more tight-lipped than she normally does with people, and Harvey has to contain the snort of laughter trying to bubble up in his throat.

He ducks his head down, placing a kiss to Evie's forehead, before looking back at the two women.

There's an awkward, silent lull in the conversation as Paula obviously tries to recover. Her blue eyes go wide for a moment, flicking down to Donna's hand that rests on Harvey's forearm, sapphire wedding ring shining under the fluorescent lights in the toy store.

His eyes glance to his wife's profile, and he can see a cocky little smirk growing on her lips. Again, he tries to control his laughter, knowing this is too much fun for Donna. He feels her hands shift, clearly making sure her ring is on full display for the other woman to see.

Donna then reaches up with her other hand, resting it on her growing baby bump. She gives Paula a sickly-sweet smile, eyes flitting over to Harvey with a happy little gleam in them. He smiles back at her, kissing the top of her head.

"O-oh, you're… you're pregnant, too," Paula uselessly mentions, eyes just about popping out of her head, no doubt recounting multiple conversations with Harvey during sessions and during their relationship about his family and hopes for the future. A future she once thought _she'd_ have with him.

The redhead nods, rubbing her stomach. She's not due until the spring, but being her second pregnancy, her stomach has rounded out sooner than during Evie's stint inside. "Just about twenty weeks now," she beams, hand moving from her belly to her back.

Paula mutters a congratulations, eyes glancing back to Harvey and giving him a small smile that he notices doesn't quite reach her eyes.

Evelyn seems to grow bored, wiggling to be released from Harvey's arms and reaching for Donna. His wife shifts, taking hold of their daughter and snuggling into her neck, her nose scrunching in that adorable way Harvey loves, and making Evie's little giggles reverberate between all of them.

"Well," Paula announces a bit curtly. She shifts on her feet, grabbing a pack of Hot Wheels just to the right of Donna's shoulders. She holds the toy up, giving it a jiggle as she explains she needs to finish shopping for her nephews. "It was nice seeing you again, Harvey," she claims, and he notices she doesn't give the same sentiment to Donna. "And, uh, congratulations on," she waves her hand between them and in Evie's direction, "well, everything."

Donna smiles broadly, leaning closer to Harvey, and telling the woman, "Merry Christmas!"

Paula smiles, a pained little expression on her face, as she walks away. Donna sets Evelyn down, letting her go play with the Barbie display the store has set up just a few steps away from where they stand. Harvey turns to his wife then, a grin plastered on his face. "Did you send Evelyn over here on purpose, Mrs. Specter?"

Donna's head tilts from one side to the other, eyes growing dramatically wide as she places a hand over her heart, as if she's offended by the accusation (though he can tell from the theatrics, she's doing it in mock-offense). "I have no idea what you mean."

Narrowing his eyes in suspicion, he lets out a _Mmhmm_ before scoffing out a laugh and shaking his head. He clicks his tongue, making a _tsk, tsk, tsk _sound as he pretends to reprimand her for her actions.

A wide smirk blossoms on her face as she meets his eyes. "Look," Donna defends, holding up her hands in surrender, "she made you doubt me _and_ fire me. I think it's only fair that I got to have my fun."

Guffawing, he wraps his arm around his wife's shoulders, pulling her toward their little girl.

It may be petty, but it was amusing, and certainly provided some entertainment to this shopping trip he's been complaining about all day. "I think we should go home and put that…" he waves his hand in the air, signaling where Paula previously stood, "behind us," he whispers with a smirk, placing a kiss to her temple.

"Nah," she giggles, rolling her eyes humorously. "You just don't want to shop anymore."

He grins, knowing he's been caught. "But Evie is tired and–"

"–I'm not tired, Daddy!" she whines in protest, even though that momentary yawn earlier tells him otherwise.

Donna laughs, swatting at his chest as she attempts to bend down to the Barbies with their daughter. "See, Daddy? The day isn't over yet." She lists off the other places they need to go, and informs him that if he's a good little boy, they may even stop in to _his_ favorite store and get him a new bottle of Macallan before they go home.

Sighing, he gives up (and gives in), knowing that despite the crowds, and the cold, and the inevitable carrying of multiple shopping bags by the end of the afternoon, he'd rather be here with his girls than anywhere else.

{*****************************}

_Thanks for reading! I hope y'all enjoyed. This was just a silly little prompt that played well into an idea I had already been tossing around, so it worked out well to add to this collection of one shots… kind of different from what I normally write, but I had fun with it lol. Please leave a review and let me know what y'all think._


	11. Wanna Bet?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harvey and Donna celebrate their first Christmas as a married couple with a friendly bet on who can deliver the best Christmas gift. Written for the 2019 Secret Santa.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is my entry for the Darvey Secret Santa… this was so much fun! Thank you to those who have already reviewed on the SS page. If you haven't (or just want to review again lol), please feel free to leave one and let me know what you thought! Thanks :)

_ **Prompt #42: ** _ _(Canon Darvey) First Christmas as a (married) couple; Donna teases Harvey about him being a terrible gift giver, trying to hide her disappointment about it; Harvey surprises her with a gift that surpasses all her expectations (object of some kind of sentimental value); any rating, but focus on domesticity/banter_

{*****************************}

Donna hops onto the kitchen island, leaning closer to where Harvey stands, stirring the sauce to their spaghetti he's been cooking. It's a classified secret between only them that Donna is certainly _not_ the chef in their relationship, that title being bestowed solely upon her husband. They may love their multiple times a week take out, but Harvey loves to treat her to a home cooked meal several times throughout the week as well. She inhales, a light moan coming out. "It smells amazing."

Harvey smiles, looking up to her with the lines around his eyes crinkling. "Thanks, you," he boasts, tapping the tip of her nose. It scrunches, giggling softly at her husband. They've been married just over a year, and she doesn't think she'll ever grow used to his sweet touches.

They spend the next few minutes laughing and talking together as Harvey finishes cooking their dinner. "I can't believe Christmas is in two weeks," he states, turning the burner down as he steps in between her legs. His hands land on her thighs, running up and down her jean clad thighs.

Smiling, she places her arms around his shoulders, hands meeting at the back of his head. Her fingers trail through his hair, his eyes closing at the sensation.

"I have a great gift for you this year," he announces, a proud, cocky smile blossoming on his lips.

She hates to admit it, but apprehension bubbles inside of her. Harvey has never been a great gift giver, "Oh," she stammers hesitantly, the fakest smile possible on her lips as her eyebrows raise to her hairline. Not even her best acting skills can cover up her uneasiness, "greaaaat." She curls her lip, causing him to chuckle. "You're oh so great at gift giving."

He rolls his eyes, smacking playfully at her legs as he takes a step back. She instantly misses his body heat, so she grips his t-shirt, pulling him back into her embrace again with a dramatic pout.

"Are you saying I suck at giving gifts?"

Her head tilts, deadpanning him with, "Harvey, I had to buy all of my own gifts for Secretaries Day, Christmas, birthdays… for over a decade." She chuckles, telling him (once again, she's ribbed him so many times in the past) that after their first year as a working duo, she'd decided they were both better off if she purchased her own gifts using his credit card. "You kind of suck at it," she sasses with a lift in her brow.

He snorts out a laugh, pressing his lips to hers. She gives one back to him, smiling into the kiss.

Pulling away, Harvey assures, "You're going to love this one. Don't worry."

"Mmmkay," she exaggerates, eyes narrowing in jest. "If you say so."

They smirk at one another, Donna caressing her hands over his chest as she lets him know that his gift may be good but, "Mine for you is even better."

"Is that so?" he tuts, eyebrows rising toward his hairline.

He smiles, shaking his head as he claims his is the best gift. She doesn't believe him, not in the slightest if history is anything to go by. Suddenly, an idea comes to her, knowing the gambler in him won't be able to resist. "Wanna bet?" she challenges.

"What did you have in mind?" he asks, that playful gleam he gets in his eyes when he's being playful growing.

Donna thinks for a second, saying, "At the firm function of the winner's choice, loser has to do _whatever_ the winner wants."

Guffawing, Harvey accuses, "Oh, and you really think you're going to win this thing, huh? Not scared for a second that I'll make you streak naked through the firm."

"You wouldn't," she laughs, heading falling back, "and no, I'm not scared one bit because I know how you are at giving gifts, and how awesome I am… at everything." She smirks, shrugging a shoulder, fully convinced she had this one in the bag already.

Rolling his eyes, he scoffs out a laugh, "Fine," he asserts, bringing his hand up to shake with hers, sealing the terms of their agreement. "It's a deal. Shall I draw up the contract tomorrow?"

She grins, knowing her present is going to blow his out of the water. Donna wraps her hands around his neck again, bringing him closer as she busses her lips to his.

Deepening it, Donna runs her tongue along his lips, silently begging him to open his mouth. He does, of course, and their tongues mingle, sighs of pleasure breathed out between them.

Harvey's hands roam up her thighs, reaching to tug at the button on her jeans. She leans back with a naughty lift of her brow, letting him pop it open, his fingers wiggling the zipper down. The heat from his fingertips against her skin makes her shiver in anticipation. Donna bites down on her bottom lip, containing the smile growing, while she leans back on her palms, lifting her hips, allowing Harvey to shimmy her pants down her legs.

She sends a silent thanks out into the universe that she wore her comfy jeans this evening instead of her more fitted ones, making it easier to slide them off. "Harvey–mmm–the food is," she begins, pressing kisses to his skin in between each word, "going to," another kiss, this one to his jawline, "get cold."

His head raises, giving her a look at says _Are you serious?_ before grinning wolfishly, swooping back in to suck at the pulse point on her neck. "We can heat it back up." She moans at the contact on her skin, hands tugging at his hair, trying to pull him impossibly close.

Harvey's lips trail from her neck to her jaw, then down further, kissing at the exposed skin of her collar. He groans, lifting her shirt up and off, admiring the black lace of her bra, before he licks a trail of sloppy kisses down the valley of her breast to her navel. His tongue swirls around her belly button, making her shiver. God, she loves how easily this man can turn her into a wanton pile of goo. She's panting already, knowing exactly what his destination is. His hands are already doing delicious things to her body, finger crooking into the side of her black thong, pulling it over far enough that he can slide a finger inside. _Shit, _that feels fucking fantastic.

"Fuck, you're wet already," he growls, nipping at her thigh.

She moans out a throaty giggle, nodding as she drags her nails against his shoulders.

"Should've taken these off with the pants," he mumbles to himself, causing her to chuckle breathlessly.

She lifts her hips again, allowing him the room to tug them down and off, tossing them onto the floor with the jeans. The marble countertop is cool against her skin, no matter how warm their apartment may be with the fire going, and it's a nice contrast to her heated skin, causes goosebumps to rise along her skin. Harvey bends down, kissing a path from her knee to where her thigh meets her most delectable parts.

He looks up to her, smirking before he drags his tongue from bottom to top, landing on her clit and attaching his lips. He sucks at her, drawing out a cry of bliss, her moan echoing throughout their kitchen. "Fuck, Harvey," she pants, one hand on his shoulder while the other splays through his hair, tugging him closer to her center where she's aching for his attention.

Her heels dig into his back as she writhes beneath him, crying out when his fingers find their way back to her folds, mingling and adding to the intense sensation his tongue is already providing. He's good, so fucking good, at making her feel like this, like she's about to combust.

Harvey inserts a second one, curling it deliciously at just the right spot, making her hiss in pleasure, ankles crossing as she squeezes her thighs around his face. "Har-vey," she stammers, knowing she's already close.

She can feel him smirk against her skin, that bastard, as his tongue licks up, down, up, down, trying out a side to side motion that well, quite frankly, feels fucking amazing. "Yes," she encourages, pulling at his shoulders, never wanting this feeling to end but knowing she's right on the edge of tumbling into the abyss of ecstasy. "keep doing that."

He does it again, tongue swirling around her clit as his fingers work further down. God yes, this is exactly what she needs. His fingers slip from inside her, coated in her wetness. He moans, the vibrations against her clit sending a jolt to her body, putting her closer to the edge of her climax than she already was. "Y-yes," she stammers, trying to catch her breath. God, he's so good with every part of his body, she can never choose her favorite. "So cl-close, babe, fuck." Harvey grabs at her thighs, and she can feel her own wetness on his fingers digging into her skin as he spreads her thighs further apart, nose pressing against her harder as his tongue works her up, up, up. She's right on the edge, can feel that tingly sensation in the pit of her stomach growing, traveling to every nerve ending in her body. _Yessss, fuck, yes_. "Harder, god, that feels amazing," she pants, hands reaching up to play with her own breasts. They're sensitive, nipples already hardened into taut peeks, but she rolls them between the pads of her fingers anyway, the sensitivity only adding to her pleasure.

Harvey pulls back, and what the fuck? Her eyes fly open, finding his as she scowls, asking him why he stopped. He chuckles darkly, hands caressing her thighs as she pulls them apart again, licking his lips as if he's just enjoyed the most delicious of meals, preparing for the next course. He leans up, pressing a quick kiss to her lips, letting her taste her own arousal, and, well, she never quite _enjoys_ the taste of herself, but when mixed with Harvey's lips, she finds it's not so bad. He dives back in, more forceful this time, and God, yes, that's what she needs. She's so close, and she tells him so.

His tongue quickly finds that perfect spot once again, flicking and tasting, and shit, he's so good at this, her husband, always able to get her off in a hurry like this. It's been a useful skill for all those times she's wanted him in the office, or in the mornings when they overslept but she wanted him before work anyway. Those were her favorite kind of mornings.

He latches onto her clit, sucking and swirling his tongue, bringing her right to the edge. She calls out his name again, moans echoing throughout their kitchen, and she's once again thankful their apartment is the whole top floor of the building, no neighbors to worry about as he brings her to the peak of her euphoria. "Harvey!" she cries, thighs trembling around his face.

She clenches on his tongue, folds fluttering against him as his lips practically milk her for all she's worth while she comes on his tongue, groaning out. Donna can feel every inch of her skin tingling, the intensity of her climax making her body tremor against the kitchen counter. Her hands fall from her nipples, landing forcefully back onto the countertops, and she flops onto her elbows, sighing out. She's completely spent, limbs feeling like jelly as she stares down at her other half, watching as he licks his lips, biting down onto the bottom one as he looks at her with nothing but a combination of love and lust in his brown orbs. One hand flies to her forehead, pushing her sweaty hair back as she tries to catch her breath. "Wow," she breathes.

Harvey stands, licking his fingers as he laughs softly at her reaction. "That was a nice appetizer," he quips, leaning down to kiss her lips.

She sits up, swatting at his chest. "Don't be gross," she admonishes, but snickers nonetheless.

He bends, picking up her discarded clothing as he smirks over at her. Donna slips from the counter, pulling her thong back up her legs. "I'm going to go clean up before dinner," she giggles, kissing his lips, getting one more taste of their combined arousal, before scampering off toward their bedroom.

"Dinner is ready!" he calls as she hurries down the hall, wanting to slip into yoga pants to keep her legs warm.

"You're an idiot!" she laughs, going into the bedroom. She quickly runs a warm washcloth against her thighs, cleaning up the stickiness from their activities, then changes her underwear and puts on a pair of yoga pants and an oversized t-shirt before joining him again in the kitchen.

He's just finished fixing their plates when she gets back, smiling softly as she picks one off the counter, walking toward the table. "Thank you," she says, twirling the noodles and sauce around her fork.

"For dinner or…?"

Rolling her eyes, she grins, shaking her head at him. "You're an idiot."

They laugh together, enjoying their meal. The pair talk about going Christmas shopping tomorrow, and she smiles, glad they made the move back to New York just a few short months after giving Seattle a try. The Emerald City was nice, and it was amazing having Mike and Rachel by their sides, but there's just something magical about New York. It was their home, this city nurtured them and grew them into the adults they are today, so it only made sense that they'd come back.

"Though I won't be shopping for you," she says, taking a bite of spaghetti, "because, remember, I already have the best gift picked out. You're going down."

He laughs, taking a sip of his drink while shaking his head, bright eyes peering over at her around the rim of the glass. He swallows, wiping his hands on his napkin before placing his palms against the table, shoulder raising to his ears as he tries to look intimidating. "Oh, it's on," he growls, smiling as he settles back into his chair. "My present is definitely going to win."

She rolls her eyes playfully, a smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth as she thinks he may believe his present is good, but she knows her gift for him is a thousand times better.

{**************************}

"Merry Christmas," he mumbles sleepily, bringing their two mugs of vanilla coffee over to join Donna on the couch. It's their first together, like this, as a married couple, and it just started, but he already knows this is going to be his favorite holiday from here on out.

His wife smiles up at him, closing the book she's been reading and places it on the coffee table. She stands, walking over to their large Christmas tree. They'd had a blast decorating it weeks ago, Donna giggling the whole time while holiday tunes played from the Spotify playlist on his phone. They'd strung white lights around it, Donna claiming the colored ones were too juvenile for their first tree, and hung ornaments all around. It was topped by a beautiful star, one that glittered in the morning sunlight as it strewn through the windows of their condo and glistened at night, catching the reflection of the fairy lights on the tree. It was beautiful.

His favorite part was that the ornaments weren't just spheres of different colors but made into different objects–cartoon characters from their childhood, ornaments showing off landmarks in cities one or both of them had visited throughout the years, Christmas themed ones–it was all there. He thinks the colored lights wouldn't have been any more juvenile than the Minnie Mouse ornament she'd had since childhood, but he's not an idiot, so he won't point that little fact out. He loves their tree either way, white or colored lights, ornaments or no ornaments, it was special in and of itself because it was their first one together.

Donna digs through the pile of gifts still wrapped beneath the tree, grabbing a small bag and placing it on the coffee table. "Which one do you want me to open?" she asks, pointing toward the unopened presents. Some are for people at work, Donna wanting to wait until they go back after the holiday to deliver gifts to Louis, Samantha, Katrina and Alex, as well as Gretchen and other secretaries Donna is still friends with.

There were gifts for Marcus and his kids, they'd be going up there in a few days to visit, and a handful for Donna's mom, which would be delivered in the middle of January when they finally made it out to Connecticut to see her. It's been a few months since they last saw Clara, having gone down to visit and help clean out Jim's belongings once he passed away from a sudden diagnosis of stage four lung cancer that took him far faster than the doctors could have ever predicted. His death had been hard on Donna, but with the help of Harvey by her side, she was able to help her mom pack up his things that were no longer needed and donate them for a good cause.

"The little green one, over there," he replies, pointing her in the right direction.

Harvey smiles, watching as she giddily grabs the small gift bag, squealing like a kid seeing what Santa brought them. Donna sits down, taking a swig of her coffee and moaning when the warmth hits the back of her throat. "That's orgasmic," she murmurs, bringing her legs to sit criss cross on the couch facing him.

Grinning, he says, "Well hopefully I have more skill than a cup of decaf coffee."

Her head tilts to the side and her eyes narrow, as if contemplating her answer, before she breaks out into a fit of giggles, assuring him he definitely does.

Shaking his head, he reaches out to the coffee table, picking up the green bag and handing it to her. "Here, you go first."

Smiling, Donna pulls out the red tissue paper, peeking inside. Her hand stills, eyes watering as they make contact with his. "Is... is this?" she asks, breathing his name out in wonderment. "Harvey…"

A small smile graces his lips, almost sheepishly, when he sees how affected she is by the gift. "Take it out, look at it," he encourages, patting her knee. He sets his coffee down, wanting to be fully engaged when she removes the contents of the bag.

She bites her lip excitedly, reaching in and removing a small wooden train, painted in reds and greens. There's a retro Santa Claus conducting, while a snowman and a reindeer sit perched in one of the two train cars, snowflakes adorning the sides. A tear slips from her eye as she looks up to him. "My dad's Christmas train."

Harvey nods, knowing she always loved this toy growing up. Clara had found it when they were there last month, telling him all about how Donna and Jim had spent hours each year playing with the train, moving it from one counter to the next, then the floor, dragging it around the skirt of the Christmas tree before letting it rest atop their piano. She always made sure to wrap it up securely when putting away her Christmas decorations, knowing if any part of it ever broke, both father and daughter would be devastated.

"Where did you get this?" she asks, eyes welling with more tears. She tells him around a lump in her throat that it was her favorite holiday trinket her mom would use to decorate for Christmas each year, and he sweetly nods, while shrugging, saying her mother had informed him of all of that when she gave it to him. "When?"

"When we were there last month helping her clean out his things."

It's been over a month since her dad passed away, and she sniffles, clearly trying to contain the swell of emotions he can see swirling through her eyes. She brings the little train up to her chest, hugging it to her as if it were her father, and his heart breaks for her, knowing all too well what it feels like to lose a parent. "Thank you, Harvey," she whispers tearfully.

She leans over, pressing a gentle kiss to his lips. "I love you," she sniffles, smiling tearfully over at him.

His face softens, a faint smile tilting the corners of his mouth up. "I love you, too." Harvey's eyes move over to the train, then back to her, a smug smile forming. Bet or no bet, he's pretty damn proud of himself for surprising his wife with a gift that brought tears to her eyes. She's always been so hard to surprise with anything, their wedding being just about the only one he's ever pulled over on her, so this felt really good. He loves her, loves seeing her face light up in astonishment when he does things like this for her.

"That was pretty good, I have to admit," she relents with a wet chuckle, clearing her throat and wiping the tears from her cheeks. He smirks, knowing full well that he's won this competition. Nothing she can give him will out shine the beloved Christmas train.

Donna uncrosses her legs, reaching out to the table to grab the small blue and snowflake bag. "Now it's my turn," she says, eyebrows bouncing in excitement.

Smiling, she lifts his present off of the coffee table, biting down on her lip gleefully as she hands it to him. She's so cute, and animated, he can't help but smile right along with her.

Reaching into the bag, he removes the tissue paper, then pulls out a miniature stocking. He gives her a confused look, glancing back to the gift. "It's… a stocking."

Donna rolls her eyes, swatting at his pajama clad thigh. "Do you notice anything about it?"

He studies it for a moment, eyes trailing over to their fireplace where their larger stockings hang. "Um," he stumbles, looking back to her. "It's… small?"

She rolls her eyes again, asking him what else he notices. Peering back at the tiny stocking, he realizes it's the same design as theirs–green sweater material with red lining at the top, their names embroidered in white cursive, though this one does not. "It matches ours."

Donna nods happily, clasping her hands together and resting her chin on her linked fingers. It takes him a moment to connect the dots, but then a metaphorical light bulb goes off, his face brightening. "Wait, Donna," he breathes, looking between the three stockings once again. "Are you…?"

"Look inside," she giggles, rocking back and forth in merriment.

His hand reaches in, feeling a tiny, glossy photograph. He pulls it out, eyes widening when he realizes it's a sonogram. Tears well in his eyes as he looks back at his wife. "Are you really?"

Donna nods happily, saying she found out the other week and wanted to tell him so badly, but she wanted to give him the perfect Christmas present, so she waited. "Took me almost two weeks to find the stocking anyway!"

He smiles, the look in his eyes brighter than any of the lights on the tree as he leans in, pressing his lips to hers. He's never been this happy. He thought true happiness was what he felt the day he asked Donna to marry him (and she did, that very same day), but this… this is more than he ever imagined. Having kids, starting a family, it's all he's ever, secretly, wanted with her.

He pulls back, hand coming to rest gingerly against her still flat tummy, a look of awe on his face.

"There's more," she says, a sneaky little gleam in her eye.

Harvey's head tilts, "More?" As if anything else could be better than this.

She snickers, eyes roaming to his almost empty coffee mug. "Look in there."

Narrowing his eyes, he picks up the mug, which he's only just now realizing he's never seen before. Lifting it to his lips, he takes the last big gulp before peering in. At the bottom, written in white cursive against the light gray porcelain of the cup, reads _You're Going to be a Dad!_

A wide smile breaks out onto his face, looking back to Donna. "New favorite coffee cup." He leans in, kissing the smile from her lips.

"Told you my present would be better," she laughs, tears silently falling onto her cheeks.

Harvey laughs, looking to the train on the table that once belonged to her father. "I don't know," he objects, a lump growing in his throat as he glances down at the sonogram once again. "I'd say they were equally as good."

Donna shakes her head, wiping the tears off her cheek, then reaches over to wipe one off of his.

"Nuh-uh," she challenges with a giggle, "you just don't want to see what I'll make you do at the firm's next big function."

He laughs, pressing his lips to hers again, an action he can't seem to get enough of this Christmas morning. "You're right," he relents, touching her stomach again. "But you wouldn't want to embarrass the father of your child, now, would you?"

She pretends to think long and hard about that, a dramatic _Mmmm_ humming out of her. Donna snorts out a laugh, taking the sonogram from him and placing it next to the toy train. "Oh, I definitely would." She scoots closer to him on the couch, legs falling over his. "Guess you'll just have to wait and see what I make you do."

He groans, arm wrapping around her shoulders. They stay there for a while, feet resting on the coffee table in front of them as the fire warms their skin, watching the snow fall outside the window while they discuss their baby and plans to turn the spare bedroom into a nursery. Donna pulls out her phone, scrolling through Pinterest and showing Harvey ideas she's already started to brainstorm.

"I was thinking, maybe, that your mom's painting might look cute in the nursery," she says, eyes glancing over to where the duck currently resides above their fireplace.

Smiling, he kisses the top of her head. "That would be perfect." He smiles down at her. "And just think," he muses, "This time next year, we'll have a little baby to celebrate with."

Her face lights up, a giddy bubble of laughter escaping as she talks about Santa and baking cookies and all the Christmas movies they'll watch, and as she lists off more and more family traditions they can make with their child, he can't help but think how much better the holiday will be from now on.

{*************************}

Donna walks into the nursery, reaching up to adjust her father's toy train that rests on the shelf in Madison's room. She'd placed it there a few weeks ago while decorating for Christmas, and she smiles to herself, knowing this train will be a yearly tradition with her own child now.

Her eyes trail over to the picture frames resting beside the train. The first one has a photograph taken of their daughter the day she was born, all rosy cheeked and wrapped in a teal and pink blanket with a giant teal bow on her head. Engraved at the bottom of the frame, it reads _Madison Lily Specter, July 26, 2021_. Donna loves to look at it from time to time, always enjoying comparing what Maddie looked like then to how chubby and cute she is now.

The other frame, a light blue one with pink and green flowers on it, is one of her favorites. It was taken about two months ago, their daughter was just three months old then but adorable as ever. The three of them were at a company picnic, dressed in casual attire, Harvey even sporting jeans for the event. They were sitting on a blanket, Maddie in Donna's lap as she recovered from laughing so hard at Harvey making a fool of himself, having to do an overly dramatic reading of a monologue from _The Merchant of Venus. _He'd finally given in, six months into her pregnancy, claiming that she officially won the bet, knowing nothing could ever top announcing she was going to have his child.

He'd just gotten back to the blanket, head hanging in embarrassment, and Donna was trying to make him feel better, assuring him that no one truly paid much attention (except Louis) and he was a good sport for holding up his end of the bargain. He'd looked up at her in that moment, smiling as he leaned in to kiss her lips, taking hold of her scarf as he brought her closer to him. Pulling apart, he ducked down, pressing a kiss to Maddie's beanie covered head. Louis snapped the picture right as Harvey looked back to her, their eyes connected with one another's like always, soft smiles playing on their lips as Maddie looked toward her Uncle Louis with a giant toothless grin on her pudgy little face. The fall leaves covered the ground, and the sun was golden in the sky behind them. It was a beautiful embodiment of the happiness she feels with her family every single day.

It was candid, but it was beautiful, Donna swearing Louis was in charge of photography at all family functions from then on.

Her eyes flit from the photograph to the real life thing, watching as Harvey rocks their five month old to sleep. He's changed her into her second pair of Christmas pajamas of the day, this pair covered in red and white stripes while trimmed in green, the feet designed to look like little reindeer. There was a reindeer on her belly and _My First Christmas_ written in the corner. It was adorable; Donna hadn't been able to help herself, buying multiple pairs of Christmas outfits for the day, knowing that her daughter would inevitably go through a few today as well as a few at each family get together they attended for the holiday season. She was just prepared, that's all.

Maddie had experienced a busy morning, waking up early to be fed, then watching in curiosity as Harvey and Donna talked her through each present she was being shown from Santa Claus. They'd placed her down on one of her play mats, handing her new toy after new toy, watching with giddy smiles as she reached for each one, most ending up in her mouth before they showed her the next one.

She was obviously a little too young to understand what was happening, but Donna enjoyed it nonetheless, watching her little brown eyes light up like Harvey's do when he's excited, reaching her chubby hands out for the next gift, and cooing happily at the lights and sounds each new object made.

Their apartment was definitely completely different from their first as a married couple, toys strewn about, each one humming a different song, cartoons playing on the television, and more presents under the tree than Donna has ever seen before, but she wouldn't change it for anything.

She leans against the doorway, eyes closing as she listens to Harvey hum to their baby girl. Donna smiles when she realizes he's singing _Jingle Bells_, keeping Madison in the holiday spirit, she sees.

She opens her hazel eyes, instantly meeting Harvey's across the way. "Hey, you," he says softly, standing from the glider rocker.

Donna moves toward her two favorite people, meeting him halfway into the nursery. They stand in front of Maddie's crib, Donna reaching up to caress her tufts of dirty blonde hair.

She giggles quietly, still amazed she birthed a blonde baby, being fully convinced her whole pregnancy that their daughter would come out with red hair like hers. She's still not so sure it'll stay blonde, telling Harvey whenever she can that Maddie won't look like his mini-me forever, she'll eventually start to transform into a tiny Donna once her hair turns red. Her husband always smiles at that, claiming he'd be the luckiest man in the world if Maddie ended up looking like her, which always makes her blush and roll her eyes, loving that he's such a sap when it's just the two of them.

"She's out like a light," he chuckles, kissing the top of Maddie's head. "All that excitement this morning wore her out, I guess."

Donna snickers, agreeing. "It's hard work laying there while your parents act like idiots showing off all your new toys and clothes to you."

Smirking, Harvey sets the baby down in her crib, rubbing her little belly before turning to face Donna. "I still can't believe she's here."

"I know," Donna breathes, smiling down at their sleeping girl. "She's so beautiful."

Harvey nods, taking her hand in his and leading her from the room. He guides them toward the living room, sitting on the couch and wrapping his arms around her. She smiles into the embrace, snuggling against his chest as he hits play on the Christmas movie they'd paused earlier when Maddison got hungry.

Smiling, Donna listens as Kevin McCalister threatens the bad guys, laughing when he lights the rope on fire. She looks up to Harvey, watching as his eyes close, his head bobbing down, then his eyes popping back open, trying his hardest to stay awake.

She chuckles, cupping his cheek. "Why don't we go nap while Maddie is sleeping, hm?"

Donna presses a kiss to his cheek, but Harvey shakes his head, grumbling sleepily, "Wanna watch the movie with you."

Rolling her eyes, she tells him it's practically over. She wraps her arm around his middle, patting his belly. "Come on," she whispers huskily into his ear, trailing her tongue along his earlobe. "You can open your next Christmas present," she purrs, pulling at the silk robe that covers her Christmas pajamas.

Harvey instantly perks up, all traces of sleep gone from his eyes, and she sniggers at how easily he can be persuaded sometimes (all the time). "Mm," he hums, "And I didn't get you anything this year… except what you picked out."

"Oh," she chuckles, brows raising toward her hairline. "That's quite alright. I figure one good present in fifteen years last year was pushing my luck anyway."

Harvey snorts, shaking his head as Donna stands with a giggle, reaching out her hand for him to take.

Smiling, he reaches out, standing to press a kiss to her lips. And with that, he links his hand with hers, letting her drag him down the hall, both spending the next few hours wrapped in each other's warmth enjoying the best Christmas they've both ever had.

{*************************}

_Thanks again for reading… I hope y'all enjoyed. Please leave a review! :)_


	12. Her Valentines

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Donna and Harvey celebrate Valentine's Day with their daughter.

_Happy (early) Valentine's Day! Lol I have two other one shots I want to post for Valentine's Day, so I wanted to get at least one posted. It's kind of short, and basically just domestic holiday fluff, but I hope you enjoy it either way haha… please leave a review!_

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**Her Valentines:**

"Would you like some more tea, sir?" the little girl asks in a posh British accent.

"I would, M'lady, thank you," Harvey responds in an overly dramatic British accent as well.

The little redhead giggles, pouring the imaginary tea from her set into her father's tiny cup. He picks it up, nodding when Stella reminds him to keep his pinky up. His pinky raises along with one brow as he glances at his daughter over the rim of the teacup.

He takes a sip, smacking his lips in quick succession before licking his lips. "I must say, that is the best tea you've made yet!" Harvey says it in his normal voice this time, but it still makes their daughter laugh and Donna's heart swell.

She loves this. Loves watching him play with their little girl, an oversized pink, floppy hat atop his head with a purple feather boa wrapped around his neck. Stella has a similar costume, red hat and blue boa, and about a dozen strands of pearls draped around her, while Harvey sports the oversized plastic rings on his fingers. Stella's much-too-large bangles clatter together on her wrist as she passes him a plate of plastic croissants, one falling off and clanking to the small child-sized table they sit at with a _thud_.

Harvey's knees reach above the top of the table, making him look like a giant in their daughter's elaborate playroom.

A faint smile crosses Donna's face as she watches them, and she bites her lip to stifle the giggle attempting to burst from her as Harvey contentedly munches on his plastic snack, asking the teddy bear, that is apparently their tea party guest, if he'd like a bite.

Donna's laughter must not be concealed as well as she thought because Stella glances up with wide, brown eyes. "Mommy!" she cries with a beaming, toothy smile. "Come join the party!"

Stella holds up an extra teacup, and Donna acquiesces, stepping further into the room.

Her eyes flick to Harvey's as he places his hand on her lower back, helping guide her to the tiny, empty chair beside him.

Once settled, he leans over, pressing a kiss to her lips. "Good morning," he rasps, pulling back. "Happy Valentine's Day."

She smiles, sending him and Stella the same sentiment. "If I'd known there was a grand tea party happening, I would have woken up sooner!"

Stella giggles, pouring Donna a tea and handing her a biscuit. "It's okay, Mommy," she states with a bob of her head, "We were just waiting for you to get up so we could make pancakes!"

She smirks, reaching over to pat Harvey's knee as she apologizes.

Her husband simply shakes his head as if it's nothing. "You needed the rest," he declares with a wink, and she knows he's feeling smug about the way he wore her out last night, over and over again.

With a roll of her eyes, she rubs her ever growing baby bump, thinking how this pregnancy has kept her awake more than Stella's dad, her little boy tumbling around and kicking her at all hours of the night. Donna chuckles, telling the other two Specters, "Baby brother wanted to actually let Mommy sleep this morning." She smiles when Stella perks up, reaching over to rub her belly, whispering a, _Good job, Buddy!_

"I can't remember the last time I slept until eight," she laughs, looking over her shoulder to the large window. She watches the way the sun streams through the sheer, pink curtains of the playroom, and Donna makes a mental note to change the color scheme in here to something more gender-neutral before the baby arrives.

They spend the next twenty minutes happily eating their pretend breakfasts and drinking their tea, Donna making sure Mr. Flops, the large stuffed bunny Stella had dragged over to join the party, gets enough to eat.

When she hears the rumble of Stella's belly, Donna declares it time to eat some real food. She takes her daughter's hand, grinning when she sees that Harvey has already gotten her dressed for the day. She hadn't been able to see the adorable look while she was covered in feathers and pearls, but now that Harvey and Stella have removed their costumes, Donna gets a good look at it.

She's in tall white socks that come just above her knee with little red hearts all over them. Her red skirt is attached to red overall straps, and she has a white, long sleeve top under it with frilly sleeves and black polka dots, a giant red heart smack dab in the middle. Donna had purchased the outfit at a random shopping trip with Rachel over a year ago, and she was glad Stella finally fit into it.

"You look precious!" Donna exclaims, scooping their five year old into her arms and spinning her around. "This dress is too cute."

With a giggle, Stella gives Donna and Harvey a little twirl once she's set down. "Daddy's shirt matches my socks!"

Donna's brows scrunch, turning to look at Harvey. He's in a white shirt with small red hearts all over them. She'd thought they were just polka dots when he first took off his tea party attire, but now she sees it for what it really is. She chuckles, placing her hand on his jaw as she pecks his cheek. "You look precious, too," she teases, giving him a wink.

With a shy smile, he ducks his head, "Figured I'd get us a little something to wear to round out the heart theme for today."

She gives him a look, knowing she didn't pick anything out, and she _knows _Harvey Specter would never be capable of picking out gifts on his own. Narrowing her eyes, she questions him, but Harvey simply shrugs, telling the girls to go get Mommy ready for their Valentine's Day while he starts breakfast.

{***************************}

Stella takes her hand, leading her into the bedroom as Donna protests that she doesn't have anything to wear. She was feeling too pudgy in her pregnancy when she'd finally thought to get herself something, and she isn't quite sure what Harvey could have picked out for them.

When they walk in, her daughter tells her to sit on the bed. "I'll be right back!"

The little girl scurries into the bathroom, and Donna can hear the linen closet door open, then shut forcefully before Stella runs back out with a gift box stashed under her little arm. "Happy Valentine's Day, Mommy!" she shouts, shoving the box into Donna's hands and climbing onto the other end of the bed beside her. "Here you go!"

She gives Stella a sweet smile, whispering, "Happy Valentine's Day, baby," into her hair, adding with a squeal, "and thank you!" while shaking the gift box for good measure. Donna then pulls at the tape and big pink bow, knowing good and well Harvey did not wrap this himself.

Chuckling when she sees what's inside, she takes out the shirt, fanning it out to read the writing. It's a red shirt with the words _Growing my Little Valentine_ written in white, a little heart with two baby footprints inside of it to rest on her belly once it's on. "Did you help Daddy pick this?"

"Uh-huh," she claims with a proud smile on her face, the tiny mole by her lip lifting with it. Stella informs her that she also picked Daddy's shirt so that they'd all match for the holiday.

Snickering, she leans over, pressing a kiss to her daughter's strawberry blonde curls. "I love it, baby, thank you!"

With that, Donna changes into a pair of black leggings and her shirt before they both join Harvey in the kitchen.

{**************************}

By the time they emerge, Harvey has already stacked a pile of heart shaped pancakes onto a plate, telling them he had a few more to make.

Donna walks toward him, jutting her belly out to show off the words on the shirt. "Who knew Harvey Specter was capable of picking out gifts?" she teases, kissing his shoulder as she comes to stand beside him. She pops a blueberry into her mouth, adding, "Although I should've known you'd need a girl to help you pick the right ones."

He snickers at that, shaking his head. "I could've done it without her help!"

"No, you couldn't have, Daddy," Stella declares in all seriousness as she climbs onto the barstool at the counter. "You had that ugly pink shirt for her before I found the cute one."

She says it so matter of factly that Donna can't help the guffaw that comes from her. She looks to her husband, who looks properly chastised by their five year old, and cackles. "See?"

She bumps her hip into his, then picks up the plate of finished pancakes, taking it to the table. Stella hops down, tapping the red and pink balloons Donna had tied to the kitchen chairs last night before going to bed as she does.

They enjoy their heart themed breakfast, Donna smiling to herself the entire time, thinking how lucky she is that she gets to see this loving side of Harvey Specter. A side that no one other than his wife and children will ever see. The man who wakes up early to have feather boa and floppy hat tea parties with his daughter, who buys Valentine's Day themed shirts for him and Donna, knowing she loves any excuse to dress up.

As they clean up the food and settle into the couch, enjoying a lazy morning of cartoons and naps, she relaxes into the cushions as Harvey massages her tired, pregnant feet. He leans over, whispering in her ear, "I love you," and she beams, kissing his cheek.

He makes her feel loved every day, and she knows Stella feels exactly the same way. They don't need a holiday to prove how much they all love one another, but as the Sunday morning sun rises higher in the sky and they decide to all go to the park, she's overwhelmed with the affection she has for this man. Her forever Valentine.

She glances over as Stella laughs at the television, and Donna rubs her stomach, amending her previous thought… Her forever Valentine_s_.

{***************************}

_Well… there's the fluff lol! Let me know what you thought! :)_

_As always, thanks to the girls who helped with this one (Jess, Blue, Sarah, Stef, Loren… I linked a bunch of y'all this time! haha)... y'all are the best! 3_


	13. His Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darvey and their little boy spend Valentine's Day together.

_ Happy (belated) Valentine’s Day… again! Lol I didn’t want to post all three on actual Valentine’s Day, so here’s another one for ya! Hope you enjoy… please leave a review! :) _

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**His Heart:**

Donna walks into his office, looking down at a file as her long red hair sways behind her, cascading down the back of her emerald green dress. The lights in the hallway catch the diamonds on her wedding ring, and she smiles to herself, still not quite used to seeing it rest upon her finger. “Remember you need to file this by… Harvey!” 

She screams, flinging the files down at her feet, papers scattering across the ground as she runs toward her husband. He’s crumpled on the floor by his desk, the moonlight streaming in through the large glass windows. He’s clutching his chest and slowly rocking back and forth, causing shockwaves of terror to radiate through Donna’s body. 

“Harvey!” she yells again, falling to her knees by his side. She places a hand to his bicep, rolling him onto his back, the other running along his face, cupping his jaw. “No,” she cries, tears clouding her vision, “no, no, no… hey, hey, I’ve got you, you’re going to be okay.” 

She can hardly see him through the tears, and she blinks, squeezing her eyes shut to force the tears out and down her cheeks, wanting them to fall so she can see her husband.  _ Maybe for the last time _ , her brain traitorously whispers to her, and she yells out in pain to no one in particular, a guttural groan clawing its way up her vocal cords and out, shattering their happy life as she now knows it. 

It’s late, too late for them to still be at the office, but he’d had trial today, and now he was working hard to get his current clients settled with their new lawyers, transferring files, and generally tying up all the loose ends before their move to Seattle. 

She should have forced them to leave at nine like Louis did, should have insisted they go home and have a nice, relaxing dinner. She could have made that new chicken piccata recipe she’s been wanting to try. Fuck, why didn’t she do that? Now her husband is here, having a heart attack, dying before her eyes. 

Mike comes running in, and when the fuck did he even get into town? But she shakes her head, not worried about that as she cries over Harvey’s body. “Call 911, Mike! Hurry!”

Looking back to Harvey, she sobs, telling him he can’t leave her. They’d just gotten married a month ago, they were tying up loose ends before moving, their life was just beginning… no, no, this can’t be happening. His dad had died far too young from this, and thoughts of Lily flash through her mind. When was his last physical? Why didn’t he take care of himself like he should? 

“Please, Harvey,” she weeps as he brings his hand up to grab at his heart again. Her body shakes from the emotion, her throat tight as she attempts to suppress her screams enough to talk to him, her face burning as heat licks up her skin with each passing moment. 

He looks weak, too weak for her liking, as he shakily reaches out for her hand. She grasps it, letting their joined hands rest on his chest. “You know... I love you... right?” he croaks, eyes growing heavy. “Please remember that.”

There are tears in his eyes, slipping out the corners and hitting his ears as they fall toward the ground beneath him. 

Donna shakes her head, taking in a wet, ragged breath. “Please don’t leave me,” she begs, her own tears falling to his chest. She rubs a hand over his stomach and up to his chest, landing on the side of his neck. She cradles his head in her hands as she sobs, telling him help was on the way. She kisses him, wobbly lips pressing against his dry ones, telling herself it’s not for the last time but knowing in her gut that it is. 

“Donna, I…” his eyes roll to the back of his head and she whimpers, shaking his shoulders. 

“You what, Harvey? What is it?”

She bites her lip to contain the scream that wants to escape, but she’s afraid if she does, every glass window in this entire building will rupture, bringing the building down with it. “Harvey?” she asks again, leaning down to listen to his heartbeat. 

It’s there, but faint, too slow to give her any hope. She lays against his chest, crying into his Tom Ford suit as she clutches at the lapels of his jacket.

He coughs and brings a hand to cup the back of her head. Sitting up, she stares down at him. “Harvey?” but there’s no answer. “Harvey?” she asks again, a timid, unsure question trembling out of her. 

Terror seizes her; her chest is tight as an imaginary grip wraps violently around her heart, squeezing the life out of her. This can’t be real, this can’t be happening. “Harvey!” she yells, smacking his chest. This can’t be it. This can’t be the end. Their life just began, he’d promised her forever… “Harvey!” she tries again, unsure if she’s hitting him or the floor because her vision is completely blurred, unable to make out anything but shadows because of her tears. 

“HARVEY!” she shouts, springing upright in the bed with a sharp gasp. 

She looks around, breaths coming out in jagged, uneven spurts. A dream. A fucking nightmare, more like it. 

Donna huffs out, flopping back against the headboard as she wipes the sweat from her brow. Closing her eyes, she breathes in and out. 

“Donna!” she hears from the doorway, a concerned, “Are you okay?!” following it. 

A fresh set of tears fill her eyes at his voice, being comforted that it really was all just in her mind. 

She feels the smack of their baby’s chubby hands against her arm before she can even open her eyes again. “Mama sad?”

Smiling as she breathes deeply once more, trying to calm her rapid heart and tell herself over and over again that it was just a dream. It wasn’t real. He’s okay, alive, and standing right in front of her. Donna’s hazel eyes sink closed, inhaling long and slow, then exhaling as her eyes open and she blinks the tears away. She looks to her little boy who peers at her curiously, almost worried. 

“Mama’s okay now, sweet boy,” she coos, scooping him up from the mattress beside her and bringing him to her chest.

He’s getting so big now, starting to look more like a toddler than a baby as he approaches two. His birthday isn’t for five more months, but, well, that’s close enough to being two that it makes her heart ache. She wants to remember all these tiny moments while she can, while he’s still young enough that he doesn’t mind cuddling in bed on a cold February morning with mommy.

She plants kisses to Gordon’s chunky cheeks, his eyes crinkling just like Harvey’s as she blows a raspberry there and his giggles fill the air. His hands come to rest on her cheeks, one moving to tangle in her messy red locks.

“Seems like everything is alright now,” she hears from beside the bed. Her ministrations stop against Gordon’s face as she looks over the baby’s shoulder. 

A beaming smile blossoms as she spies her husband placing a tray of food on her nightstand, announcing, “A beautiful breakfast for my beautiful wife,” with a wink and a peck to her lips. She grins, her hazel eyes roaming over his figure. He’s dressed in red sweatpants that have tiny Cupid’s arrows on them. His shirt is also red but with the words _ My heart belongs to a super hot COO _ written in white cursive inside a giant pink heart. 

She barks out a laugh, pointing to Harvey’s shirt. “Where did you get that? And  _ when _ ?”

He smirks, pointing to his getup. He tells her that Louis picked one up for himself, Harvey, and Alex so they each had something to wear this morning for their wives. Rolling his eyes, he admits, “I completely was not planning on wearing it, but then I saw you’d picked out that,” he points toward Gordon’s outfit, “for him, and I thought you’d get a kick out of this.”

Her eyes soften along with her smile as she glances down to Gordon. He’s turned around now, leaning against her chest as he sucks his thumb and stares over at Harvey. He’s in gray leggings with white and red hearts on them. She rubs his belly, giving it a pat as she rereads the  _ Stealing hearts like _ with a silhouette of Cupid to complete the sentence. When she’d seen it in the store a few weeks ago, she couldn’t resist. Her little man needed the perfect Valentine’s Day outfit, even though they had no plans to go anywhere except their condo for this entirely too cold weekend, but how could she pass it up? 

Gordon looks adorable in it, her handsome little boy, and she couldn’t resist those freckled cheeks any longer, so she tilts her head in closer to his, nibbling at his cheeks as if they were her breakfast. 

The toddler squeals, rolling off of her lap and onto the mattress, his face bouncing against the overly feathered comforter with a giggle. 

Harvey laughs, finally moving from where he’d been standing. He picks up the tray again, settling it over her lap. “Breakfast for my Valentine,” he says with a wink, kissing the top of her head. 

Donna bites on her bottom lip, her eyes flirtatiously blinking up at him. “Why, thank you,” she purrs, “My Valentine’s pretty hot, too.”

His lips purse as he huffs out a chuckle, joining her on the bed and picking up Gordon to sit in his lap. 

“You’re not eating?” she asks, handing Gordon a piece of a strawberry from her plate.

Harvey smiles, looking at her tray filled with heart-shaped french toast and a bowl of strawberries that he placed a dollop of whipped cream onto. He shrugs, informing her that the guys ate earlier while he was making her breakfast.

Donna narrows her eyes, looking at him skeptically. “ _ You _ made heart-shaped french toast?” she deadpans.

A sheepish look covers his face as he ducks down, kissing the top of Gordon’s head before running his hand over the boy’s fluffy, dirty blonde hair. “Yes, actually,” he says with a grin. 

Tilting her head in disbelief, clearly telling him silently that she doesn’t believe that for a second, he laughs and admits, “Okay, okay, Louis made a batch for all the guys to keep in our freezers.” He shrugs again, adding, “But Gordon and I did a fine job of putting them on the tray and into the oven.”

She grins, nodding. “You did.” Her nose scrunches playfully as she looks from her husband to their son, saying in her voice only used for their baby, “I love it.”

Harvey smiles, picking up the remote and turning on the television for Gordon to watch.  _ Coco _ plays in the background with their son settling against Harvey’s chest, sucking on another piece of strawberry as he watches the movie.

“Hey,” Harvey says softly, reaching over to pat her knee. “You okay?” He tells her he was worried earlier when she woke up yelling his name, and she looks as if she had been crying.

She takes a long, deep inhale before nodding. “I was having a nightmare,” she confesses, looking to him with sad eyes. 

Taking another bite of the french toast, she tells him about her nightmare and how she’d found him curled up in his office. “I’ve never been so terrified,” she says, tears forming in the base of her eyes again at the thought. “I can’t lose you, Harvey.”

He wraps his arm around Gordon’s middle, scooting them closer to Donna. “Hey, hey,” he soothes lovingly, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. He brings her in closer, as close as he can with the tray still in her lap, and kisses the top of her head. “I’m okay, yeah? Look,” he motions down from his face to his body. “It’s all good.”

She nods sadly, sniffling as images of his dead body flash through her mind. She takes hold of Gordon’s little hand, rubbing her thumb over his soft baby skin. “You’re going to a doctor first thing Monday morning, though,” she asserts.

He chuckles but agrees, kissing her hand before releasing it so she can eat.

They sit in silence for a while, the three of them watching most of the movie while Donna finishes her food. She places the tray on the bedside table, then cuddles into Harvey’s side, her hand resting on Gordon’s belly. “We should probably lay him down for a nap,” she claims, “I didn’t realize it was almost ten already.”

She looks to Gordon, his brown eyes fully closed now as he snores softly against Harvey’s chest.

With a smile and a kiss to her cheek, Harvey stands, cuddling the baby boy to him. “I’ll go lay him down,” he whispers, stepping out of the room.

As he goes, Donna takes the remote, turning it to some mindless home improvement show, snuggling into the covers. She can’t believe this is what her life has become—Harvey as her husband, the most perfect little boy as their child—it’s more than she ever dreamed she’d have, and it’s the best reality she could have ever hoped for.

{****************************}

He lays Gordon down in his crib, giving him a loving rub to his full belly. He’d munched on almost all the strawberries and even conned Donna into giving him a piece of her french toast so he was nice and full before he passed out on Harvey’s stomach. 

Harvey smirks at the thought, then checks the baby monitor to see that it’s still on and working before exiting the room. He stops by the kitchen, putting the last of his dishes he’d used this morning into the dishwasher before heading back to their bedroom.

When he walks in, he’s hit with a wave of affection for his wife. She’s laying there, her black yoga pants still covered by their comforter, but her pink shirt that reads _ I run on coffee and kisses  _ that is covered in tiny red hearts stands out against the crisp white sheets. 

Climbing into bed, he slides closer to her, his back pressed against the headboard like hers. She smiles over at him, kissing his cheek and asking if Gordon went down okay. “Yeah,” he snorts, taking her hand and linking their fingers. “He’s out like a light.”

She giggles, and god, does he love that sound. “Good,” she says, “I should probably get up and get some things done while he can’t destroy my folded laundry or clean living room.”

They both laugh, knowing their son was a typical boy, destructive in his own tiny way. He definitely has Harvey’s go-get-’em attitude, always pulling out the clean laundry before Donna has a chance to put it away, covering himself in the shirts and springing out to scare her. 

“Let’s just stay here a little longer,” he urges, squeezing her hand gently. 

She sighs, giving in with a lazy grin and a nod. She scoots closer, and he unlinks their hands, placing that same arm around her shoulders. Her head rests on his and her hand lands against his heart. 

She taps a pattern on his skin, sighing again. “That nightmare really did scare me, Harvey,” she divulges quietly, rubbing over his heart. 

He nods, knowing how terrified he’d be if he dreamt of her death. He doesn’t know if he would have recovered quite like she did, but he supposes having Gordon there to wake her up helped ease the pain. 

“It was just a dream,” he reminds gently. “I’m right here. See?” He pats her hand that’s on his chest, smiling down at her.

She nods, but her brows scrunch together, a lone tear slipping past her lashes. “I know,” she croaks, reaching up to wipe under her eyes as more tears fall. “I shouldn’t be crying again, but it… it was awful.” She shakes her head with a sad huff. “I just can’t seem to shake it.”

He pulls her closer, pressing his lips to hers. He can feel the salt from her tears on his lips, and he leans in more, trying to convince her with his kiss that everything is alright. 

“I know you haven’t had a physical since I became COO, Harvey. Mainly because you’re too stubborn to do it without me scheduling one for you,” she admonishes, sitting up a little bit more. “That was almost five years ago.” Donna shakes her head, tucking a strand of red hair behind her ear. “Harvey…” she stops, inhaling sharply as she clearly prepares herself for what she’s about to say. “ _ Both _ of your parents died from a heart attack. I don’t want to lose you like that, too.”

He looks down guiltily, lips twisting as he tries to think of something to say. Looking back to her, though, he sighs, knowing she’s right. He simply nods, his throat thick with emotion as he thinks of his mom and dad. “I told you I’ll call Monday morning, Donna, and I will. I promise.”

She gives him a dubious look, lips pursing. “You mean,  _ Donna, will you call first thing Monday morning _ ?”

He snickers, head tilting back as he knows he’s been caught. “Yes,” he amends, “exactly.”

Donna grins, nodding her head before saying, “Maybe I should have done that already. I mean just because I wasn’t your secretary doesn’t mean I didn’t know your schedule.” She rambles on and on, getting caught up in her emotions again. “If I call, do you promise to go? I’ll go with you, I will, I just need you to—”

“Donna.”

“—to go have one. I need to know that everything is okay, everything is healthy in there.” She taps his chest once again, sniffling as she obviously fights the tears.

“Hey,” he chuckles, taking her hand and bringing her out of her thoughts. “I already said I’d go, and I will.” He smiles, adding, “But yes, you’re more than welcome to come with me.”

She laughs softly, shaking her head. “Sorry.” She smiles, another giggle leaving her lips. “I got a little carried away.”

Harvey looks to her with a grin, shrugging a shoulder. “You’re worried about me,” he says with a scrunch of his nose, “it’s cute.”

She rolls her eyes, and, ah, there she is, there’s his sassy wife. He leans in, placing a kiss to her lips. She smiles into the embrace, cupping his cheek. Her fingers scratch through the scruff he’s been growing on his jawline and moans into the embrace.

He brings his arm around, laying her down on the bed as he hovers above her. “I love you,” he rasps, and she smiles brightly.

“I love you, too,” she replies, biting down on her lip coyly as she begins to move her hips beneath him.

He moans, leaning in to capture her lips once more. Her hands scour his body, nails raking up and down his back before she removes his silly Valentine’s Day shirt. She kisses his chest, breathing a trail of cool air against his wet skin. It makes goosebumps rise on his skin, and he does the same to her, licking and biting a path from her jaw, to her neck, and down further still. 

They spend the next hour exploring and worshiping each other’s bodies, and by the time they finally get themselves cleaned up and emerge from the bedroom, Gordon is just waking up, demanding to eat lunch with his fussing and a pitifully pouted  _ Food, Daddy!  _ that makes Harvey chuckle. 

As he prepares lunch for his family, Donna playing with Gordon in the living room, he listens to their conversation and laughter filling their apartment. He smiles at how sweet it is and thinks that he won’t just go to the doctor on Monday, but he’ll make it a habit because he would never want anything to come between him and having a million moments like this with his family. 

They’re his whole world, his heart, and he wouldn’t change a single thing about it. Having Donna by his side in every sense of the word is something he never thought possible until he ran to her doorstep all those years ago, but he’s so glad that he did. His life was forever changed, and only for the better.

{*****************************}

_ There ya have it… as Sarah said while reading the beginning: “One burger too many” hahah but I could never actually kill Harvey, so of course it was a dream hehe. Please leave a review! <3 _


	14. No Other Way

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darvey Valentine 2020! Donna finds herself pregnant and single, and Harvey steps in to help out. When a surprise guest makes an appearance, though, Harvey's willingness to help goes one step too far.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Valentine's Day! I wrote this one kind of last minute, but I couldn't help myself after I found the picture of pregnant "Donna" sitting on the floor in overalls lol… Thanks to Jess, Elle, and Em for scanning over this! I hope y'all enjoy. Please leave a review and let me know what you thought! :)
> 
> Prompts: Fake dating, mixed with a twitter prompt from Pegatastic – Donna discovers she's pregnant but it freaks her out, it's the unknown to her and she's frightened about being a parent & the change to come and/or the health of the baby – Harvey is the voice of calm and reason.
> 
> {***************************}

**No Other Way:**

Harvey props himself against the door jam, smiling as he watches her, eyes scrunched as she leans in closer to the computer screen, mouth moving as she silently reads the words. It's probably another article on pregnancy, most likely freaking her out far more than she needs to.

That's become the normal now, every day, whether it's at work or when he's over at her place, she's always researching something, freaking out, then researching some more.

"What are you reading this time, Donna?" he asks, joining her in the living room.

He sits down on her cream colored couch, peering over her shoulder at the screen. She's perched on the floor, laptop on her thighs, rounded belly bump in between. Her head falls back to the cushion behind her with a groan. "This article about Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, and all these moms giving their opinion on the best way for the baby to sleep, or lay, pillows to use, ways to swaddle them…" Her hand reaches up, resting against her stomach as she sighs.

Harvey leans down, gripping her shoulder in comfort. "Why don't you put that away for a while, hm?" he suggests, "Or, you know, look at something else. Try looking for that rug you want in your nursery. You still haven't found it, right?"

She shakes her head, a look of defeat on her face. "No, and thanks for the reminder." She smirks up at him, eyelashes fluttering as her head tilts back to look at him.

Laughing, he shakes his head, settling back into the couch. He flicks through the channels on the television, giving his input on certain baby items when asked.

Her phone pings with the sound of a message, and she picks it up, huffing in annoyance as she tosses it onto the coffee table.

"Everything alright?"

He watches as her shoulder shrug, and he sits up, glancing down at her. Her lips are twisted and he can see tears in the corner of her eyes. "Was it… was it John?"

"No," she says with a shake of her head. "It's stupid, really," she chuckles wetly, wiping at her eye. "I don't know why I'm upset." She explains that Big Bertha wants to throw her a baby shower, but they can't get the dates worked out now that she and Harvey are working at Pearson Hardman. Their hours are a bit different from Big Bertha's, and it's just not lining up.

He sighs, glad it wasn't that douche of an ex contacting her. When Donna found out she was pregnant at ten weeks, she'd been shocked but excited… until she told her boyfriend the news and he took off, saying he wasn't ready, never wanted this, and up and moved to Boston. Fucking dick.

Donna had come to him that night in tears, apologizing and saying she had nowhere else to go. She was too embarrassed to tell her mom, couldn't even bring herself to tell her parents she was pregnant now, and she just needed someone to cry to.

"_I'm sorry, Harvey," she hiccups as she sits down on his leather sofa. He sinks down beside her, a hand resting on her back as he comforts her. "I'm so stupid. I shouldn't have come here, we don't even work together anymore as of this afternoon."_

_He's stunned for a second, confused as to how she knows he quit the DA's office, but shrugs it off, knowing she was Donna and she knew everything._

"_You have nothing to apologize for," he promises, running his hand up to her shoulders and squeezing soothingly, "and I don't ever want to hear you say that again."_

_Truth is, he was just gearing up to go to her apartment, wanting to tell her about his quitting, but he knew she was with John, knew she'd never let him into her apartment and finally give in to one another like they both desperately have wanted. Despite that, though, she was his friend more than anything, and she was clearly in need of comfort, so that is what he would give her._

"_How are you feeling?"_

_Donna scoffs, rolling her eyes to the ceiling. "How am I feeling?" she grumbles to herself, slouching into the cushions as she brings his black and white throw pillow into her lap. She raises the pillow up to her face, sinking her chin into it in the cutest way. He grins, but clears his throat, not wanting her to see him smile. "I'm feeling… angry." She says it as a scowl grows on her face, sitting up more now. "I'm fucking angry!" she yells, tossing the pillow away from her and across the room. It lands against the chair on the opposite side of the coffee table with a firm thud, bounces on the cushion, then falls, landing on the hardwood floor beneath it._

_She stands, hands tearing through her long, red hair as she screams in frustration. He sympathizes with her, knows what it feels like to think your life is one way just to be blindsided with the truth in the worst way possible._

"_I hate him," she seethes, breaths growing heavy. He can see the tears threatening to fall, can hear the hitch in her voice as she breathes. "I fucking hate him. How dare he leave me!"_

_The tears she's been trying to contain fall free as she sinks back into the couch next to him, a sob escaping her lips. "How am I supposed to do this on my own? Raise a baby, I mean, my god, this is so… so much!"_

_She leans into his shoulder, his arm coming to wrap around her as he shushes into her hair. Her bangs tickle his nose, but he presses a kiss to her forehead anyway. "It will all be okay, Donna."_

_She sniffles, asking, "How do you know?"_

_Donna bites her lip, nervous eyes gazing into his own as a new wave of tears come. "I'm…" she sighs, shoulders slumping, "I'm scared, Harvey."_

"_Why are you scared?"_

_She huffs, shrugging as she confesses, "A million reasons. Can I do this on my own? What if something happens to the baby? My sister had a miscarriage a few years ago, and I don't know if I could handle that by myself, you know?" She wipes the tears from under her eyes and gives him a dejected pout, continuing her ramble, "I don't know how to be a mom, what if I suck at it? I'm just scared of all of it!"_

"_Hey," he asserts, pulling her closer. "Donna, you don't ever have to be afraid. Not as long as I'm around, okay?" He ducks his head down, trying to get a better look at her. "And I'm not going anywhere. You're going to be an amazing mom, there's nothing to fear."_

_She cries some more, nodding as she accepts his soothing consolation. They spend the next few hours there, wrapped together on his couch as she lets all of her emotions out. She cries, and he does his best not to feel emotional as well. He's never been very good at the comfort thing, but she needs him, and he'll be damned if he lets her down._

She'd eventually calmed down, then cried some more, falling asleep against his shoulder, apologizing in the morning for her behavior. Harvey had waved her off with a gentle smile, knowing deep down that he would always be there for her no matter what. Donna was his best friend, sure, he'd tried to sleep with her the first six months they knew one another, but once she told him of her rule, he'd backed off right away and gotten to know her as a person. He went to her plays, they went to dinners regularly, and spent time together. It was the best relationship he'd had with someone in his adult life, and he wouldn't trade her friendship for anything in the world.

He'd promised her once again that next morning that he would always be there, John or no John, for her and the baby. "You don't ever have to worry," were his words to her, and true to them, he'd been by her side every step of the way.

He's been over at her apartment a lot the last few weeks, trying to help set up the nursery and clean out the spare room, making room for all the baby items that would start piling in over the next few months. She's five months pregnant now, a little over half way, and she still hasn't been able to tell her parents, so he's been helping more than usual. She just keeps saying that she isn't ready, can't bring herself to admit that she fell for the bad boy and thought she could tame him.

She's embarrassed, but she doesn't need to be. She's the strongest woman he knows, along with Jessica, and he knows she could get through this with or without him helping.

They spend the next twenty minutes looking at nursery ideas, discussing certain bath items she wants to get, and once again, going through her baby name list, attempting to find the name that fits.

"She's going to be here before you decide on a name," he chuckles, and she slaps his knee, scoffing in mock-offense.

"Maybe I'm just waiting to see what she looks like." She grins, adding with a quirked brow, "I don't appreciate limitations like a due date being placed on naming my child. It will come to me when it comes to me." She folds her fingers like a person meditating and working on their chi, closing her eyes and tilting her head back.

Harvey chuckles and she opens her eyes, grinning brightly with a giggle of her own. He just shakes his head, knowing that waiting to see her little girl is not the reason. She's been so indecisive lately, it's getting worse the more anxious she becomes waiting for her daughter to arrive, but he simply holds his tongue, nodding in agreement.

"I know you don't agree," she laughs, turning back to her laptop. She scrolls down the page, stopping and asking, "What about Ophelia?"

His nose scrunches from behind her, but he tries to hide it when she looks over her shoulder at him with innocent doe eyes. "You don't like it?"

Shrugging, he says, "I mean… it's a bit," he waves his hand in the air, unable to find the words, "old fashioned."

She giggles, and he bites his lip, loving the way her laughter makes him feel (though, he won't actually admit that outloud, barely even lets the thought register to himself in his own mind). "It's from Shakespeare," she explains, trying to think of nicknames they could call the little girl.

"I think Louis would love it," he snickers.

Donna's lip curls, a sound of disapproval coming from her as she mutters, "That guy…"

Harvey smirks, nodding his agreement. "What a douche," they say in sync, laughing at the thought of the jealous weasel of a man parading around the office with his ridiculous memos about pointless office regulations that no one else cares about and drinking his precious prunies.

"I can't believe people actually like him," Harvey says with a laugh.

"Like who?"

Sniggering, they shake their heads, Harvey looking back to the laptop screen. Her eyes follow, and she sighs, admitting that, while she loves Ophelia, it doesn't quite fit.

"There's always Harriett," he teases, sliding down the ground next to her.

She rolls her eyes, snorting. "Yeah, as if I'd ever use the name Harriett for _anything_."

His mouth falls agape, looking at her in fake horror. He brings a hand to his chest, saying, "I'll have you know, that is a very respectable name."

Chuckling, Donna shakes her head, looking back toward the laptop. She scrolls down the page, listing off a few other names, her nose scrunching adorably at other, very terrible ones. "Who comes up with some of these?" she asks, pointing to the screen. "Rocket? Roze? That's just Rose spelled wrong!"

He snorts, bumping his shoulder into hers before taking control, scrolling the page to the E section. "There's always something classic like Elizabeth, Emily, Eloise."

Her face twists at that last one as he laughs, "Okay, maybe not Eloise."

They chuckle, her eyes going soft as she looks at him, and he can't help but wonder sometimes if she feels the same way for him as he does for her. It's a new feeling, one he only just admitted to himself within the last few months, but one he wants to explore… eventually.

There's a knock on the door suddenly, and Harvey looks to Donna. "Were you expecting someone?"

With a shake of her head, she says she wasn't, so he hands her the laptop back, standing and saying he'll get the door. "It'll be tomorrow by time you can get up anyway, preggo."

"Ha, ha," she deadpans, and he chuckles, walking to her entryway.

Looking through the peephole, Harvey's stomach drops. Shit.

The woman behind the door knocks again, and he can see her shifting from one foot to the other, checking her watch.

"Harvey?" Donna chuckles from where she's still, he assumes, attempting to stand, and he can just imagine her pressing her palms against the coffee table to assist her like she so often does. "Remind me to never sit on the floor again… at least until the baby is born," she laughs, a grunt echoing down the hall.

Fuck, this is not good. This is a disaster waiting to happen… Harvey looks around, for what, he isn't sure, something to avoid opening the door. "Harvey, who is it?"

He doesn't reply, and by time she makes it over to him at the front door, he must be too late in masking the look of panic in his eyes because her face falls, brows cinching together in confusion as she shakes her head. "Harvey?"

He clears his throat, hand gripping the door handle. "It's, uh, it's your mom."

Fuck.

{**************************}

"My… my mom?" Her eyes widen in panic as Harvey confirms his words with a grimace and a nod.

Shit. Fuck. No, this can't be happening.

Donna brings a hand to her forehead, then sweeps it down her long red tresses, stopping to rest against her belly. With a sigh, her shoulders sag, a defeated, "Let her in," tumbling out as they hear Clara's voice through the wood of the door, a muffled _Donna?_ and a bang of her palm to the surface.

Licking her lips, she nods, taking a step toward Harvey. "Just a second," she calls, placing her hand to Harvey's shoulder. "I got this."

He looks at her, clearly checking one more time that she's okay, before giving her a small smile and a peck to her forehead (an action that makes her heart skip a beat, but she doesn't think about that). His hand falls from the door handle, stepping to the side and allowing her to take his place.

Her stomach is in knots, twisting and gnawing it's way through her gut. She hasn't told Clara about the baby, was still trying to find the right way to say _Surprise! I got knocked up and the guy wants nothing to do with me!_

Huffing, she opens the door, digging deep into her acting roots to plaster her most award-winning smile on her face. "Mom!" she greets cheerfully, reaching out to hug Clara and pull her inside before she can make a scene.

Her mother hugs her back, a surprised _Oomph_ spilling out as they tumble back through the doorway. Clara grips Donna's hips, pulling back with a laugh. "Donna, darling," she chuckles, pressing a kiss to her cheek.

Clara takes a step back, eyes widening as she finally takes note of the baby bump resting sweetly on Donna's midsection. Her mother isn't a prude, isn't some uptight socialite who will disown her for being pregnant out of wedlock, but not telling her? She can see now that it was a mistake, and she instantly regrets her decision.

"Donna, you're pregnant?"

She nods, eyes watering as she confirms the news.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you," she mumbles, hands wringing together over the bump. "Things have just been kind of crazy, and," her eyes flick over to Harvey, still standing off to the side with an unsure look on his face.

"And who is the father?" Clara asks, face crinkling in bewilderment. "I didn't even know you were–"

"–Me!" Donna's head whips to the side at the fumbled confession. "I… it's me. I'm that," he points at her stomach, then to himself, a hand reaching up to rub at his neck, "Uh, I'm the, um, the father. Yep."

Horror must cross her face for the briefest of moments, must match the terror and confusion she feels inside, because Harvey nods in her direction, giving her a reassuring smile. Donna glances over to her mother, consciously forcing her mouth that has fallen agape shut again, and sees the look on her face that Donna hasn't seen in years, not since she was first starting out in the big city, getting her first role on a small stage.

Pride.

Her mother actually looks proud of her, and it makes Donna's heart ache knowing that years of failed plays and having to take a job as a secretary have disappointed her mom and dad. Her shoulders slump, just slightly, as she looks back to Harvey. He takes the few steps separating them all, looping his arm around Donna's shoulders and murmuring a, "Just go with it," into her hair before straightening up, offering to take Clara's jacket, and hanging it on the hook by the door.

The next half hour is filled with awkward glances, and one too many personal questions from Clara toward Harvey while they wait on their take out to be delivered. It was the fastest option since she didn't know her mom was coming, and like hell she was going to take the time to prepare a home cooked meal that her mother would just turn her nose up at anyway (cooking never really was Donna's strong suit, the only other time her mother has met Harvey, they'd had a god awful dinner party made even worse by her terrible attempt at shrimp scampi).

"I'll get some wine for you two," Donna announces, standing from the couch. She turns to look at Harvey, giving in an unquestionable look. "Harvey," she grits firmly through her teeth, nodding toward the kitchen. "Will you help me?"

"You need help getting wine?" Clara chuckles, shaking her head as she pops a chip into her mouth.

Giving her mom a forced smile, she mumbles something about it being hard to reach before scurrying into the kitchen, Harvey following dutifully behind.

{********************************}

"What the hell?" she asks as soon as they're away from prying eyes and ears.

Harvey glances over his shoulder, placing a finger to his lips, motioning for her to be quiet. "You want your mom to hear?"

Donna shakes her head, obviously frustrated. "No, Harvey, I don't. But what I really didn't want was for you to claim to be the _father of my child!_"

He looks down sheepishly, a bit hurt, actually, at the insinuation that him being the father would be so terrible. He pushes that thought down, knowing she didn't mean it and getting angry, losing his cool right now, wouldn't help anything. So he scratches at his stubble he forgot to shave this morning before looking back up at her. "I'm sorry."

Donna's steps toward the refrigerator falter, and she turns back around, a hand coming up to cup her ear. "I'm sorry, you're what?" she asks sarcastically, leaning in closer to him. "I didn't quite catch that."

Smirking, he waves her off. "I was just trying to help. I could see the look in her eye, wondering who got you pregnant, why you hadn't told her, and a million other questions, and… I don't know, Donna," he sighs, "It just kind of slipped out."

"Slipped out," she scoffs, rolling her eyes. Her arms cross over her chest, and he can't help but to smile at how cute she looks–barefoot, denim overalls, and that thick, long hair hanging down to her belly–she's adorable, especially when she's angry. Though he does miss those bangs, they'd been one of the first things to go in her attempt to rid herself of John. She'd grown them out, a task made easier from the prenatal vitamins she was taking, and cut it into long (gorgeous, makes him want to run his fingers through them) layers after the dick had left town.

She seems to contemplate her options for a moment, hazel eyes flitting up to the ceiling, before falling back to his with a defeated sigh. "Fine," she shrugs, admitting, "This honestly will go over better having a baby daddy with me. She may not be conservative, but I could see her starting to freak out in there earlier before you stepped in."

"You see," he grins, "you need me!"

She rolls her eyes again, playfully this time, thank God, and swats at his chest. "So what do we tell her when she asks about us?"

He thinks for a moment, coming up with a cover story for them–dating for the last seven months, found out she was pregnant four months into being together– "I freaked out at first, naturally," he chuckles, stepping in to wrap his arms around her waist before saying lowly, "But I wouldn't change any of it for the world."

"So you basically got me pregnant one of our first nights together?" She smirks, giving him an _I don't think so _look. "Harvey, I was two months along when I found out. That'd be like… what, a month or two after you claim we started dating?"

"Hey, when you're good, you're good."

"And you're an idiot."

"But I'm _your_ idiot. For tonight, anyway."

He watches as her eyes close and a faint smile crosses over her lips. She inhales deeply, her chest pressing against his; it's the closest they've stood since he was trying to get her to sleep with him the night they met in the bar, and he knows he's pushing the limits tonight, fake dating and all, but he can't help it. He's wanted this, wanted _them_ for over a year, longer if he's honest with himself (but he doesn't let himself think about that). He was just waiting for her to dump that asshole before telling her how he truly felt, pleading his case with her as to why she should break her rule for them. But then everything with the pregnancy and John skipping town happened, and he just knew it wasn't the right time. Not all those months ago anyway, too many things needed to get worked out. Now, though…

"Come on," he whispers, reaching around her to grab the bottle of wine, "let's get back out there. It's showtime!"

She giggles, and he smiles as he takes her hand, walking back to the living room.

{*************************}

The doorbell rings, and Harvey stands to go retrieve the food while Donna and Clara make their way into the dining room. "He's so handsome," Clara whispers with a giggle, causing Donna to smile and shake her head, as if she hadn't noticed that fact over the last two years of knowing him.

They sit down at the table, Harvey pouring another glass of wine for Clara as Donna dishes out the food. She has to admit, he's being a great fake boyfriend, even if it is just for tonight, just long enough to convince her mother that she still has her life together and does not, in any way, shape or form, need to move back to Connecticut with her parents to raise her child. She may just be fresh into her thirties, but she refuses to be like those people she knew in high school who tried to make it on their own but eventually landed back in their mom's basement, never to leave again.

"So how's the DA's office?" Clara asks, picking up her first bite of food.

Donna huffs, knowing she's told her mom several times over the last few months that she and Harvey no longer worked there. She remembers, in fact, because it was something she kept bringing up to distract herself from telling her parents about her pregnancy. "We work at a major law firm now, Mom, remember?"

"Oh, yes, yes, that's right," Clara waves off, smiling across the table at them.

Harvey reaches out, then, taking her free hand in his, as he confirms, "It's a great office, we love being there." He smiles over at her, that Cheshire Cat grin plastered to his face, and she rolls her eyes before breaking out into a grin.

Her stomach does flip flops inside of itself, butterflies tumbling around at the mere contact of his skin against hers, but she pushes that feeling down, knowing that it's just hormones and anxiety over tonight's dinner party. She also ignores how nice his use of the pronoun _we_ sounds coming from him, despite her use of it not even thirty seconds ago.

She shakes her head, pulling herself from those thoughts. Thoughts like that will get her nowhere, except in a cold shower once everyone is gone tonight.

Donna catches her mother's gaze, a smile and a lift of her brows silently communicating to Donna that her mother highly approves of Harvey.

Her mind swirls, wondering what she's going to tell her parents in a few weeks when her mother inevitably asks about Harvey on one of their many phone calls. How will she explain that they broke up? Fuck, this is so messy and complicated. They should have come up with a better plan while in the kitchen, damn it.

"So exactly how far along are you?" Clara asks, and shit, is she trying to do the math? Donna wracks her brain, trying to remember the last time she mentioned John to her.

"About five months, the doctors say I'm around seventeen weeks."

Clara smiles, tilting her head to the side and saying, "I thought you were with that other guy, what was his name, John? A few months ago."

Donna's gaze flicks to Harvey's and he squeezes her hand, giving her a reassuring smile. He'd agreed during their clandestine meeting earlier to let her do most of the talking, since he'd already gotten them into this mess, so she sighs, looking back to her mom. "Yeah, w-we were, but, uh,"

"Say no more!" Clara announces, holding her hands up in the air. "True love knows no bounds," she winks. "I get it!"

Donna's eyes fall closed as she breathes in and out, before looking back to her mom. All she can really do is shrug and allow Clara's mind to fill in the missing blanks. Playing aloof, like she doesn't want to give too much away, seems to be her best bet at this point.

Harvey changes the subject, thankfully, asking Clara her opinion on nursery color schemes and names. It distracts her mother long enough, giving Donna's stomach time to calm down so she can eat. She's been craving this thai food all afternoon, and her stomach rumbles, reminding her that she needs to actually eat something tonight.

She happily munches on her pad thai, listening as Harvey speaks with her mom, schmoozing Clara the way he does any high society client, truly convincing her mother that he is the father. He sounds like it, oddly enough, knowing what birthing plans she's considering, the type of crib she has set up, and names she's considering.

But, if she thinks about it, it's not so strange. Harvey has been there for her every step of the way, stepping in to be her support more than she ever thought the man was capable of.

She smiles to herself, thinking how nice it would be to actually have Harvey in her life like that – helping raise her daughter, take her to doctor's appointments, help decorate the nursery… which, she supposes, he _is_ doing already, but it would be different if they were actually together, right? But they won't be, can't be. He's not ready for that kind of commitment, especially not with a baby on the way. And is _she_ even ready for that? She knows she _is_, deep down, but admitting that opens up too many raw emotions, especially being halfway to giving birth...

Her mind is going a mile a minute, so much so, that she misses her mom's question. Harvey reaches under the table, affectionately squeezing her knee and bringing her back to reality. "Sorry," she chuckles lightly, "what was that?"

"I asked what the two of you were going to do once the baby is born," Clara says, looking between them. She waves her fork in the air, pointing at each of them. "I mean, it's obvious Harvey doesn't live here now, but what about when the baby comes? Is there a nursery set up at his apartment, too?"

"Yes," Harvey claims.

"No," Donna answers simultaneously.

Her eyes widen as she looks to him, silently murdering him with her eyes as she chuckles nervously. "No, there isn't, but, but… but there _will_ be," she fumbles through an explanation. "I just haven't gotten around to it, you know," she stuffs a piece of food into her mouth, adding around the lump, "been too busy trying to get this nursery set up."

Clara's eyes narrow, looking at both her and Harvey, before picking up her wine and taking a sip. "Well you better get on it, Donna," she states, "You only have a few more months left."

"Don't remind me," Donna mumbles, stuffing her last bite of pad thai into her mouth.

Harvey clears his throat, adding, "I could always hire someone to set one up over there."

The grunt he lets slip as Donna kicks him under the table really isn't her fault. He's being an idiot, getting too loose lipped and comfortable in this scenario. He's fucking brilliant at this whole acting thing, though, maybe she should convince him to join her summer production company.

Clara beams, agreeing that it is a wonderful idea.

Donna laughs nervously, chewing on her food, trying to make it last so she doesn't have to say anything else. Her guilt is overwhelming her, and she wants to be honest so desperately, but they've come this far, and her mother would be beyond disappointed in the truth. So, she takes Harvey's hand, ignoring how perfectly they fit together, and stands from the table.

Harvey and Clara help clear the dishes before they all walk to the front door.

Handing the older redhead the jacket she'd worn over here, Harvey kisses Clara's cheek, promising to keep her updated on the progress of the nursery.

Clara turns to Donna, then, giving her a warm hug, her eyes watering as she admits she's excited to get home and tell Jim the good news, so excited that they're becoming grandparents. Donna looks to Harvey over her mother's shoulder, guilt written across both of their faces.

As her mom pulls out of the hug, Donna gives her a sad smile, kissing her cheek and vowing to call her tomorrow.

With that, Clara makes her exit, and as Harvey closes the door, Donna leans against it with a sigh. "That was really hard," she confesses, looking over at him.

He gives her a sympathetic smile, taking her hand and leading her over to the couch. She struggles to sit down, lowering herself down slowly and cursing these tight denim overalls. They fit all day until she stuffed herself full of thai food.

"Am I a horrible person?" she asks after awhile.

Harvey's head tilts as he sets his cup of water down on the coffee table. "You are many things, Donna," he starts, voice deep and gravely, making those stomach butterflies from earlier swarm again, making their descent down south, "but horrible is not one of them."

He takes her hand, intertwining their fingers as he smiles softly in her direction. "I put you in a bad spot tonight, and for that, I'm truly sorry."

Shaking her head, she assures him it's fine. "I was the one who hadn't told her yet about being pregnant. I was just so embarrassed by it all, with John skipping town, and everything." She shrugs, adding, "Honestly, you being my fake boyfriend was the best solution to her showing up tonight."

They both chuckle, Donna leaning her head against her bent arm that's resting on the back cushion of the couch as she looks into his brown eyes. There's so much written on his face right now, so many emotions swirling through those soulful eyes of his. He's like an open book that she can't quite figure out how to read just yet.

"What is it?" she asks, sitting up straighter.

Harvey shakes his head, ducking it down to his chest briefly. She sees a small grin blossom on his lips as he looks back up to her. He's got that sheepish gleam in his eye, the one he gets when he's being vulnerable and open; she loves that look.

"Tonight was kind of… nice," he shrugs, that lopsided smile making her bite her lip as she tries to tamp down a knowing smile of her own.

"It… sort of was," she chuckles, twirling her thick hair around her hand and bringing it all to one side.

Harvey takes a scoot closer, his knee now touching hers as he picks up her hand once again, something he can't seem to stop doing tonight (not that she's complaining).

He weaves their fingers together, placing their hands against their knees. "I mean," he starts, sighing out as he seems to not be able to get his words straight. "I liked how… normal it all was, you know?"

She nods, because she does. She's liked how natural the last few _months_ have been with him. He's been attentive at work, but also at home, whether they were at his place or hers. It's just been nice seeing him outside of the office, the calmer side of him, the more relaxed version of Harvey Specter that no one else gets to see. She's lucky to be considered his friend, his only one at times according to him; it makes her love (like) him even more.

"What would you say to… I don't know… _not_ ending this fake dating?" He shakes his head, almost as if he's trying to give himself a look that says _That sounded dumb_. "What I mean, Donna, is that I really like you, you know? I like being with you, and I know that you're pregnant, and dealing with a lot, but if you want, I'd love to, I don't know," he smiles, and she gives him one in return as he finishes with, "take you out to dinner or a movie, or, I don't know..."

He's rambling, and it's adorable, so cute that she doesn't want to stop him, but she giggles despite herself, squeezing his fingers. "Harvey."

Shaking his head again, he continues, saying something about willing to wait if she needs time, just wanting her to be happy, and her face melts, softening around the edges as she tugs on their hands. "Hey," she calls again, "I would love that."

This may be stupid. This could all just be her pregnancy hormones playing tricks on her, but she has to believe it's something more, knows in her gut that it is, and her gut is never wrong. They've always been something more. Always flirted and had chemistry, a connection. Hell, she'd made up that stupid rule about not dating people she worked with just so they could continue being together each day. She knew back then that if they dated, it would've blown up in their faces, and then she would've been out of a job. But now, now things are different. They're at the firm, he's making a name for himself, he's more mature, she's actually ready… Holy shit, "Are we really doing this?"

He snorts, nodding as his hand reaches up to cup the back of her head. Her breath hitches in her throat as he says, "My chips are always up when it comes to you, Donna," and she giggles at that, knowing the gambler in him couldn't be helped, "so if you're ready, I'm ready."

She can't contain the smile on her face any longer, so she nods, draping her hand across the back of his neck. "I'm ready."

"Good."

"Good."

They both grin, leaning in at the same time. Harvey presses his forehead against hers, breathing her in before cocking his head and pressing his lips to hers.

It's the best kiss she's ever experienced, and she _knows_ that is not simply from the hormones. She's wanted this, wanted him, for so long, and it's finally happening. She smiles into the embrace, tilting her head to the side as he deepens the kiss.

Donna moans into their lips, tugging Harvey as close as he can get with her baby bump in between them.

They break apart, breathless, and he smiles at her, the corners of his eyes crinkling in that boyish way they do. "Seems tonight was just what we needed."

She exhales a breathy chuckle, shaking her head as she bites down on her bottom lip. "Seems so," she says with a raise of her eyebrow.

Harvey leans back in, planting kisses to her lips, over and over again for the next few minutes. They break apart, both agreeing it shouldn't go any further tonight (despite how desperately she wants it to).

He leaves later, another peck to her lips and a rub of her belly. "I'll see you tomorrow," he whispers before he exits the building.

{***************************}

Over the last few months leading to the birth of her baby girl, Donna and Harvey truly became a family. She decided that no matter if they stay together or not, Harvey is the father of her child. He's been there for her since the beginning, always taking care of her, and that's exactly the kind of dad she wants in her baby's life.

On a cold February morning, Donna and Harvey welcome their daughter into the world, all pink cheeked and loud cries. Harvey cries right along with the baby, kissing Donna and thanking her for giving him the greatest gift ever.

"Happy Valentine's Day," he whispers into her hair.

She smiles, still not believing that her little girl came two weeks early, making her a Valentine's Day baby, but knowing it's perfect. She brought her and Harvey together, and now she was their celebration of love for the rest of their lives.

Hours later, as their baby sleeps against Harvey's chest, Donna smiles. She can't fully grasp how quickly her life has changed over the last four months, but as she watches them, her family, snuggled together while Harvey places feather like kisses to the top of the little girl's head, whispering sweet somethings to their littlest Valentine, she decides she wouldn't have it any other way.

{*************************}

_Thoughts? :)_


	15. Yoga Practice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harvey and Donna spend their weekend practicing yoga moves. #domesticdarvey

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick little drabble based on Cassie’s drawing of Harvey and Donna practicing a yoga move… all of her artwork is amazing so if you haven’t, go check it out! You can find her on Twitter (@darveypainted) and also on Instagram with the same username! 
> 
> Please review!
> 
> {***********************}

**Yoga Practice:**

“Donna,” he grunts, the veins straining in his neck, “this isn’t really what I had in mind when you said you wanted to try something new and dragged me into the bedroom.”

She giggles, her long red hair tickling his nose as she admonishes him. “Harvey,” she tsks, wiggling in his grip, “you have to straighten your legs out more!”

He huffs, wondering how he’s supposed to do that with her pelvis on his feet, lifted in the air as her torso points toward his face. She isn’t heavy, not by any means, but from this angle laying on the bed, legs raised in the air, she is. 

He strains as his grip on her hands tightens. “You’re going to slip.”

His wife laughs again, assuring him she won’t. She tells him they do this in her yoga class all the time and her partners lift her with no problems. 

“Right,” he huffs again, “but your partners do yoga.”

“Well maybe you should start,” she deadpans, her hazel eyes peering into his chocolate browns mischievously. 

Her body weight shifts as she chuckles at him, and her torso slides just a bit closer, their noses almost touching. 

Harvey can feel the heat on his face, knows he must look like he can’t breathe, but he’s determined to lift her, won’t let her prove her point that he needs to start working out more now that they’re settled in Seattle. He works out, runs anyway, but yoga is a totally different use of muscles that he isn’t used to… not that he’ll ever admit that to her. 

Taking a deep breath, he pushes his wobbly legs up, using all the strength left in his body. 

Donna laughs as he slowly lifts her in the air, their fingers locked together as his arms stretch out. 

He holds her in the air for all of three seconds, a proud smile blooming on both of their faces, before his legs start to shake, giving out from beneath her. 

She comes tumbling down, landing against his chest with an  _ oof! _

They both laugh, Donna rolling off of his chest and into his side where she curls up, a hand landing over his heart. 

“Breathing fast there, old man,” she grins with a raised brow, tapping his chest. “Need some water?”

He rolls his eyes, reaching up to tickle her side as he confirms that he certainly does  _ not _ need anything to drink. He’s fine. Totally fine. 

She squirms and giggles in his grasp before calling a truce. 

Donna slides to the other side of their bed, reaching over to the nightstand to drink from her cup she’d placed there earlier. 

He shimmies up to his side, resting his back against their headboard and reaches for the remote. Flipping the television on, he selects a pre-recorded episode of  _ Survivor _ and settles in to watch it. 

Donna hands him the cup, which he stubbornly accepts, and cuddles into his chest. 

They spend the rest of the night, and the rest of their quarantine, catching up on an old season of his favorite show and making better use of their mattress than just to practice yoga moves. 

END. 


End file.
